(October 20, 2015) Scientists
at Washington State University and the University of Idaho are helping students
figure out how to farm on Mars, much like astronaut Mark Watney, played by Matt
Damon, attempts in the critically acclaimed movie “The Martian.”
WSU physicist Michael Allen and UI food scientist Helen
Joyner teamed up to explore the challenge. Their five-page study guide was
published online at the National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science the
day the movie premiered earlier this month, said Allen.
“Congratulations! You are leaving Earth forever,” the case
study begins. “You are selected to be part of a mining colony of 100 people
located on the planet Mars. Before you head to Mars, however, you need to
figure out how to feed yourself and
your colleagues once you are there.”
The task is similar to that of Watney, who must grow food in
an artificial habitat after he is separated from his mission crew in a Martian
windstorm: “Mars will come to fear my botany powers,” he boasts.
The film has been praised for its scientific accuracy, with
the exception of the storm’s unlikely intensity. The movie led the box office
for the first two weekends of the month and has grossed more than $143 million,
according to Box Office Mojo.
No consensus yet on
‘optimal foods’
Allen and Joyner have students identify potential challenges
to producing crops indefinitely and develop criteria for selecting crops.
Students then use a scoring system to select three optimal foods.