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The Wall Street Journal: "NASA Really Is Trying To Grow Potatoes on Mars"

April 14, 2016 Hillary Ojeda

In case you thought it was a joke, The Wall Street Journal discusses how scientists aim to grow Peruvian potatoes on Mars.

Peruvian potatoes could one day be harvested and consumed on Mars. (Photo: Peru21/USI)

Extraterrestrial farming isn’t a everyday kind of topic for most living on planet earth, but at the International Potato Centerbased in Lima, it’s becoming more an more of a reality.

The Wall Street Journal has taken a look into the team of scientists and potato specialists trying to grow potatoes on Mars in the articleentitled, “NASA Really Is Trying to Grow Potatoes on Mars.”

With multiple plans to send humans to colonize the foreign planet within the next decade, the capability of growing food, orextraterrestrial farming, has never been more important. And, scientists are starting with Peruvian potatoes in the Peruvian desert.

At the Pampas de la Joya Desert in southern Peru, The Wall Street Journal speaks with Peruvian astrobiologist with NASA, Julio Valdivia-Silva.

“It’s got to be a Martian potato that tastes good…It’s a big challenge to take a living organism somewhere else. We’ve never done this before.”

The way The Wall Street Journals sees it, “If everything goes as planned, the Martian colonies could be munching on french fries, chips and mashed potatoes one day.”

Scientists are working in the Peruvian desert as it has long been an ideal location for NASA to conduct tests in Mars-like conditions. Considering it is one of the driest places on earth and only gets about a millimeter of precipitation a year.