ALBERT

Description: Advantages and disadvantages of synthetic soils are discussed. It is pointed out that synthetic soils may provide the proper physical and chemical properties necessary to maximize plant growth, such as a toxic-free composition and cation exchange capacities. The importance of nutrient retention, aeration, moisture retention, and mechanical support as qualities for synthetic soils are stressed. Zeoponics, or the cultivation of plants in zeolite substrates that both contain essential plant-growth cations on their exchange sites and have minor amounts of mineral phases and/or anion-exchange resins that supply essential plant growth ions, is discussed. It is suggested that synthetic zeolites at lunar bases could provide adsorption media for separation of various gases, act as catalysts and as molecular sieves, and serve as cation exchangers in sewage-effluent treatment, radioactive-waste disposal, and pollution control. A flow chart of a potential zeoponics system illustrates this process.

Description: This work provides information on research and experimentation concerning various aspects of food production in space and particularly on the moon. Options for human settlement of the moon and Mars and strategies for a lunar base are discussed. The lunar environment, including the mineralogical and chemical properties of lunar regolith are investigated and chemical and physical considerations for a lunar-derived soil are considered. It is noted that biological considerations for such a soil include controlled-environment crop production, both hydroponic and lunar regolith-based; microorganisms and the growth of higher plants in lunar-derived soils; and the role of microbes to condition lunar regolith for plant cultivation. Current research in the controlled ecological life support system (CELSS) project is presented in detail and future research areas, such as the growth of higher research plants in CELSS are considered. Optimum plant and microbiological considerations for lunar derived soils are examined.

Description: Lunar and martian materials can be processed and used at planetary outposts to reduce the need (and thus the cost) of transportng supplies from Earth. A variety of uses for indigenous, on-site materials have been suggested, including uses as rocket propellants, construction materials, and life support materials. Utilization of on-site resources will supplement Regenerative Life Support Systems (RLSS) that will be needed to regenerate air, water, wastes, and to produce food (e.g., plants) for human consumption during long-duration space missions. Natural materials on the Moon and/or Mars may be used for a variety of RLSS needs including (1) soils or solid-support substrate for plant growth, (2) sources for extraction of essential plant-growth nutrients, (3) sources of O2, H2, CO2, and water, (4) substrates for microbial populations in the degradation of wastes, and (5) shielding materials surrounding outpost structures to protect humans, plants, and microorganisms from radiation. In addition to the regolith, the martian atmosphere will provide additional resources at a Mars outpost, including water, CO2 and other atmospheric gases.

Description: Data collected by the Mars Phoenix Lander's Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer (TEGA) suggested the presence of calcium-rich carbonates as indicated by a high temperature CO2 release while a low temperature (approx.400-680 C) CO2 release suggested possible Mg- and/or Fe-carbonates [1,2]. Interpretations of the data collected by Mars remote instruments is done by comparing the mission data to a database on the thermal properties of well-characterized Martian analog materials collected under reduced and Earth ambient pressures [3,4]. We are proposing that "nano-phase" carbonates may also be contributing to the low temperature CO2 release. The objectives of this paper is to (1) characterize the thermal and evolved gas proper-ties of carbonates of varying particle size, (2) evaluate the CO2 releases from CO2 treated CaO samples and (3) examine the secondary CO2 release from reheated calcite of varying particle size.

Description: The Phoenix mission (PHX; May 25 - Nov. 2, 2008) studied the north polar region of Mars (68deg N) to understand the history of water and potential for habitability. Phoenix carried with it a wet chemistry lab (WCL) capable of determining the basic solution chemistry of the soil and the pH value, a thermal and evolved-gas analyzer capable of determining the mineralogy of the soil and detecting ice, microscopes capable of seeing soil particle shapes, sizes and colors at very high resolution, and a soil probe (TECP) capable of detecting unfrozen water in the soil. PHX coincided with an international effort to study the Earth s polar regions named the International Polar Year (IPY; 2007-2008). The best known Earth analog to the Martian high-northern plains, where Phoenix landed, are the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV), Antarctica (Fig. 1). Thus, the IPY afforded a unique opportunity to study the MDV with the same foci - history of water and habitability - as PHX. In austral summer 2007, our team took engineering models of WCL and TECP into the MDV and performed analgous measurements. We also collected sterile samples and analyzed them in our home laboratories using state-of-the-art tools. While PHX was not designed to perform biologic analyses, we were able to do so with the MDV analog samples collected.

Description: Phyllosilicates of the smectite group including Mg- and Fe-saponite and Fe(III)-rich nontronite have been identified on Mars. Smectites are believed to be formed under neutral to alkaline conditions that prevailed on early Mars. This hypothesis is supported by the observation of smectite and carbonate deposits in Noachian terrain on Mars. However, smectite may have formed under mildly acidic conditions. Abundant smectite formations have been detected as layered deposits hundreds of meters thick in intracrater depositional fans and plains sediments, while no large deposits of carbonates are found. Development of mildly acidic conditions at early Mars might allow formation of smectite but inhibit widespread carbonate precipitation. Little is known regarding the mechanisms of smectite formation from basaltic glass under acidic conditions. The objective of this study was to test a hypothesis that Mars-analogue basaltic glass alters to smectite minerals under acidic conditions (pH 4). The effects of Mg and Fe concentrations and temperature on smectite formation from basaltic glass were evaluated. Phyllosilicate synthesis was performed in batch reactors (Parr acid digestion vessel) under reducing hydrothermal conditions at 200 C and 100 C. Synthetic basaltic glass with a composition similar to that of the Gusev crater rock Adirondack (Ground surface APXS measurement) was used in these experiments. Basaltic glass was prepared by melting and quenching procedures. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis indicated that the synthesized glass was composed of olivine, magnetite and X-ray amorphous phase. Samples were prepared by mixing 250 mg Adirondack with 0.1 M acetic acid (final pH 4). In order to study influence of Mg concentration on smectite formation, experiments were performed with addition of 0, 1 and 10 mM MgCl2. After 1, 7 and 14 day incubations the solution composition was analyzed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) and the altered glass and formed phyllosilicates were examined by XRD analysis. Mineralogical changes were significant in Adirondack incubated with 10 mM MgCl2 at pH 4 and heated at 200 C. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed formation of phyllosilicate during 14 day incubation (Figure 1). Smectite was confirmed as the phyllosilicate after treatments with glycerol and KCl and heating to 550 C. The position of 02l (4.60 A) and 060 (1.54 A) diffraction bands were indicative of trioctahedral smectite such as saponite. Analysis of solution composition demonstrated that aqueous concentration of Mg decreased from 10 mM to approx.4 mM after 7 day incubation likely due to saponite formation. Smectite also formed in Adirondack incubated with 0 mM MgCl2 at pH 4 and heated at 200 C. However, diffraction peak positions of 02l (4.52 A) and 060 (1.51 A) suggested formation of dioctahedral nontronite. The 100degC Mg and Fe(II) treated basaltic glass experiments are ongoing and results will be presented.