荷蘭科學家溫室種太空蔬菜
Out of this world: 'Moon and Mars veggies' grow in Dutch greenhouse
Establishing a human colony on the Moon and travelling to Mars has been the stuff of dreams since the dawn of the space age.
在月球上建個人類的殖民地,去火星旅行是人類自太空時代開啟之初一直以來的夢想.
But these visions face many hurdles. How can humans survive for months or years in the ultra-hostile environment of space? What, for instance, will they eat?
但是這些愿景面臨著許多阻礙.人們怎么才能在極端不利的太空環境下生存幾個月甚至數年？舉個例子來說,他們吃什么呢？
Agricultural researchers at a Dutch university say they are taking the first steps towards providing an answer.
荷蘭一所大學的農業研究員說,為了找到答案,他們正在邁出第一步.
They are growing vegetables in soils similar to those found on the Moon and Mars, looking for ways of helping space pioneers grow their own crops.
他們在與月球和火星相似的土壤中種上蔬菜,試圖尋找幫助太空開拓者自己種莊稼的方法.
"When people go to the Moon and Mars they also have to eat, and it's easiest for them to grow their own food," said Wieger Wamelink, surrounded by several dozen plants in a special greenhouse at Wageningen, an agricultural university in central Netherlands.
瓦格寧根是荷蘭中部一所農業大學,里面一間特殊溫室種了幾十株植物.在這些植物的環繞中,韋格•沃姆林克說："即使去了月球和火星,人也得吃飯,而自己種食物最方便."
"We wanted to use real Martian and lunar soil," to see if plants would actually grow in it, Wamelink told reporters.
沃姆林克對記者說："我們想用真正的火星和月球上的土,"看看植物會不會在里面生長.
Of course, getting real lunar and Martian potting soil is an impossible ask. But an Internet search revealed an unlikely supplier: NASA.
