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Southampton university aim to grow lettuce on Mars

Students from the University of Southampton are aiming to put the first life on Mars - it's called #LettuceOnMars, a student project from the University of Southampton.

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Lettuce set to be first life on Mars by 2018

A team of student researchers have plans to put the first life on Mars by 2018 - in the form of a humble lettuce.

The student project, called Lettuce on Mars, is looking to send a small greenhouse to Mars in which lettuce will be grown using the atmosphere and sunlight on Mars.

The brains behind lettuce on Mars Credit: Southampton University

To live on other planets we need to grow food there. No-one has ever actually done this and we intend to be the first. This plan is both technically feasible and incredibly ambitious in its scope, for we will be bringing the first complex life to another planet.

Growing plants on other planets is something that needs to be done, and will lead to a wealth of research and industrial opportunities that our plan aims to bring to the University of Southampton."

– Project leader Suzanna Lucarotti
Students from the University of Southampton are aiming to put the first life on Mars. Credit: Southampton University

The researchers decided to plant lettuce, although it's not the most nutritiously rich plant, to study its growth on Mars.

It will open the doors for richer plants, such as tomatoes and strawberries, to be transported and cultivated on a foreign planet.

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