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QUALITIES OF PLANT:
- More microbes= more healthy (measured using a microscope)
- Number of flowers= more is healthier (purpose for plant growth is reporduction and agriculture so more flowers means more plants).
- Thickness/density of roots (measured using a _)
QUALITIES OF SOIL
- PH (using PH test)
- Moisture (using soil moisture probe)

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Taking a sample of soil (1cm2), use a microscope to count the amount of micrboes in said soil.

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Amount of regolith and surface area needed for maximum exposure/absorption

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You can buy for septic systems

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Microbes that break down waste

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Natural light or fake lights?

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Germination andpollination- what plants needs it and what do you want to research?

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In hypothesis, when talking about 'equal quality' what you mean? Needs to be measureable.

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Is there a way of measuring microbial activity?

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How much do I need?

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I will be looking at the changes in plant growth depedning on the exposures of and components of soil.

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How much soil plants need to grow

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Water expansion when frozen= 9%

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Time

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Regolith

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Space

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How much do I need?

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Carbon= compost 'brown' material, rock

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Magnesium= spinach

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Potassium= Bananas, spinach

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Calcium= figs (50g per fig)

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Phosphorus= Sunflower/pumpkin seeds, bones, nuts,

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Nitrogen= 'green' materials in compost

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Also needed: carbon (C), oxygen (O), hydrogen (H),

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N itrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), sulfur (S), and magnesium (Mg)

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What do plants need to survive?

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https://sciences.ucf.edu/class/simulant_marsglobal/
- Silica, Iron, sulphur, magnesium

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ORGANIC MATTER= compost and manure. Compost= decoposition on food scraps and manure, where the bacteria residing in said mixture is kiled and the end result is a nutrient-filled material that feeds plants.

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Sand, silt, clay and organic matter

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Minerals, organic matter, water, air

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What needs to b added to the simulant?

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Whats in the MGS-1 simluant?

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What is in soil?

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Vegetables that prefer moderately acidic soils- usually a soil pH of 5.5 to 6.5- prefer more iron than crops that prefer slightly acidic conditions and include turnips, tomatoes, squash and radishes. Those that prefer extremely acidic soils, such as radishes and sweet potatoes, enjoy iron-rich soils the most.

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PEAS: Pea plants do not like a lot of nitrogen in the soil, so do not fertilize. Loosen the soil to at least 12 inches deep so the roots have room to expand and anchor the plants.

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Mediterranean herbs like lavender will thrive in light, dry soils

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Sandy soil= problematic as it struggles to retain water and nutrients. To reverse these disadvantages, ADD ORGANIC MATTER. Any organic matter will work to build soil structure with its ability to hold onto water. Compost and manure are preferred because they are rich in nutrients. Over time, they’ll also help to increase the pH of acidic sandy soils.

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Components of soil (natural and martian)

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DEPENDENT

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INDEPENDENT

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EntitY

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Updated hypothesis

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New title

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What do I need to find out?

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What is this experiment?

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VERSION 2.0

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UV radiation and O3 decreases “inputs of assimilates to the rhizosphere”, therefore negatively effecting the decomposition processes and heavy metals phytoextraction efficiency. Increased UV-B destroys “microbial biomass” and macrofauna, resulting in a higher C/N (carbon-nitrogen ratio) content (the same with elevated ozone (O3) and carbon dioxide (CO2). “CO2 enrichment or increased UV-B is hypothesised to stimulate or inhibit both plant and microbial competitiveness for soluble soil N”. On the contrary, increased levels of O3 affects only microbial competitive efficiency.
UV radiation has influence on the degradation of pollutants* in contaminated soils.

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Earthen soil is made of four main components: 45% minerals, 5% organic material, and 50% water/air. Using the Martian minerals in the regolith, the additional element of compost will be used to account for the lack of organic material.

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Plastics are known for their inability to break down in a short period of time. However, recent studies show that mealworms have the ability to digest and excrete plastics. This experiment investigates the role of mealworms in compost that includes plastic. It will also look at substituting the natural nutrients found in soils with the nutrition found in decomposing foods (eg sulfur is found in bananas).

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In the Jezero crater regolith simulant, minerals such as iron, magnesium, traces of copper, and chromium may be found. For plants to thrive, plants need nitrogen (N), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), sulfur (S), magnesium (Mg), and copper (Cu). On Mars the atmosphere contains 95% carbon dioxide, can be converted to solid carbon. Some of Earth’s solid contain levels of carbon.

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HYPOSHESIS: If a soil composed of 45% Martian Jezero crater regolith simulant is exposed to an atmosphere similar to Martian climate, then the pea seedling planted in said soil will grow to be of equal quality to than same plant having been grown in the same soil on Earth, but not as equal quality as the plant grown in Earth’s natural soil, because any microorganisms residing in the soil would have been exposed to UV radiation types A B and C, therefore killing or weakening them, resulting in a deficiency in decomposition.

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Earthen soil is made up of 45% mineral, 5% organic matter, and 50% water and air. To conduct this experiment, an artificial soil will be comprised of 45% Martian Jezero crater regolith simulant, 10% organic material (compost) which has traces of plastic (excretion of mealworms), and the regular addition of water to the compost. This soil, at time of departure will weigh 53g, with []ml of space to account for expansion.

Following this stage (the construction of the soil) the soil will be shipped to [Virginia?] to be packed into a cube, and where it will be sent to near space on the RB-6 mission. After this the cube will be transported back to PH23 3AA, Scotland, to undergo the second phase of the experiment.

Whilst the soil is overseas three pea seedlings will be developed without soil for 10 days, whereupon they will be planted in three soil types:

1. The soil exposed to the Martian atmosphere (PH tested and humidity and temperature)

2. The same fabricated soil that hasn’t been exposed to the martian atmosphere (PH tested and humidity and temperature)

3. Garden soil from the postcode PH23 3AA (PH tested and humidity and temperature)

The seedlings will be closely watched over 14 days, regularly weighed and every two days captured on camera. At the end of the 14 day period the soil will be PH tested, the plants will be weighed and each dependent variable will be measured. Each plant will be placed with equal sunlight and watered at the same intervals, with equal amounts.

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When water is around 4 degrees C it contracts

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When water freezes it expands by approximately 9%.

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Ozone (in the ozone layer) and UV radiation deteriorates a mircoorganis's ability to decompose.

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Soil going through freeze-thaw=

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Pea seedlings, 14 days old. Pea seedlings, for the first 14 days, do not need soil to develop.

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MEALWORMS

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How do you break it down?

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The soil might freeze in flight- how might that effect it? It may be facing the sun as well, how may that effect it?

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THINGS TO CONSIDER

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(Dependant on plant) leaves are green and bright, with even colour and limited brown/dead/wilted leaves

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Will effect the things to look for, as well as what nutrients/components of the soild is absorbed. If the plant is not suitable for the type of soil used, then the results of the experiment will be biased- not soley based on the plastics and martian environment.

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Differences to look for in each plant

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Firm leaves, stem and roots

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Secondary: vitiamins, flavonoids

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Primary: starch, oil, proteins

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Metabolites

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To grow, plants need 7 main things: space, water, nutrition, the right temperature, light, air, and time.

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Air pressure

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Altitude

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Microwaves Radiation; effect-

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Xray radiation; effect- This would

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Temperature; effect-

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UV Radiation; effect-

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What natural mineral found in soil most like the ones made found in plastic?

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A homemade compost, with two main catagories of material: 'brown' and green'. Green material, rich in nitrogen and brown material, high in carbon. The ratio [2:1] will be used. Every 5 days, the mixture will be turned and [200]ml of water will be added.

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David Shukman
Science editor

In the largest investigation of its kind, 250 bottles bought in nine different countries were examined.

Research led by journalism organisation Orb Media discovered an average of 10 plastic particles per litre, each larger than the width of a human hair.

Companies whose brands were tested told the BBC that their bottling plants were operated to the highest standards.

Sherri Mason, a professor of chemistry at the university, conducted the analysis and told BBC News: "We found [plastic] in bottle after bottle and brand after brand.

"It's not about pointing fingers at particular brands; it's really showing that this is everywhere, that plastic has become such a pervasive material in our society, and it's pervading water - all of these products that we consume at a very basic level."

Currently, there is no evidence that ingesting very small pieces of plastic (microplastics) can cause harm, but understanding the potential implications is an active area of science.

Commenting on the results, Prof Mason said: "It's not catastrophic, the numbers that we're seeing, but it is concerning."

Experts have told the BBC that people in developing countries where tap water may be polluted should continue to drink water from plastic bottles.

Contacted to comment on the findings, the companies behind the brands have insisted that their products meet the highest standards for safety and quality.

They also point to the absence of any regulations on microplastics and of the lack of standardised methods of testing for them.

Last year, Prof Mason found plastic particles in samples of tap water and other researchers have spotted them in seafood, beer, sea salt and even the air.

This latest work comes amid growing international attention on plastic, fuelled by the BBC's acclaimed Blue Planet 2 series in which Sir David Attenborough highlighted the threat of plastic waste in our oceans.

The research into bottled water involved buying packs from 11 different global and national brands in countries chosen for their large populations or their relatively high consumption of bottled water. These were:

Aquafina

Dasani

Evian

Nestle Pure Life

San Pellegrino

Aqua (Indonesia)

Bisleri (India)

Epura (Mexico)

Gerolsteiner (Germany)

Minalba (Brazil)

Wahaha (China)

To eliminate any risk of contamination, purchases in shops and deliveries to courier companies were recorded on video. Some packs in the US were ordered over the internet.

The screening for plastic involved adding a dye called Nile Red to each bottle, a technique recently developed by British scientists for the rapid detection of plastic in seawater.

Previous studies have established how the dye sticks to free-floating pieces of plastic and makes them fluoresce under certain wavelengths of light.

Prof Mason and her colleagues filtered their dyed samples and then counted every piece larger than 100 microns - roughly the diameter of a human hair.

Some of these particles - large enough to be handled individually - were then analysed by infrared spectroscopy, confirmed as plastic and further identified as particular types of polymer.

Particles smaller than 100 microns - and down to a size of 6.5 microns - were much more numerous (an average of 314 per litre) and were counted using a technique developed in astronomy for totalling the number of stars in the night sky.

The make-up of these particles was not confirmed but Prof Mason said they can "rationally expected to be plastic".

This is because although Nile Red dye can bind to substances other than plastic - such as fragments of shell or algae containing lipids - these would be unlikely to be present in bottled water.

Since the study has not been through the usual process of peer review and publication in a scientific journal, the BBC has asked experts in the field to comment.

Dr Andrew Mayes, of the University of East Anglia and one of the pioneers of the Nile Red technique, told us it was "very high quality analytical chemistry" and that the results were "quite conservative".

Michael Walker, a consultant to the Office of the UK Government Chemist and founder board member of the Food Standards Agency, said the work was "well conducted" and that the use of Nile Red has "a very good pedigree".

Both of them emphasised that the particles below 100 microns had not been identified as plastic but said that since the alternatives would not be expected in bottled water, they could be described as "probably plastic".

One obvious question is where this plastic may be coming from. Given the amount of polypropylene, which is used in bottle caps, one theory is that the act of opening a bottle may shed particles inside.

To check that the process of testing was not itself adding plastic to the bottles, Prof Mason ran "blanks" in which the purified water used to clean the glassware and the acetone used to dilute the Nile Red dye were themselves investigated.

Small quantities of plastic were found in them - believed to be from the air - but these were subtracted from the final results.

A surprise to researchers was the wide variety of findings - 17 of the 259 bottles tested showed no evidence of plastic but all of the rest did, with big differences even within brands.

A few bottles were found to have thousands of particles - the vast majority being the smaller ones that are "probably plastic" - but others from the same pack had virtually none.

We contacted the companies involved and most responded.

It also said its measures exceeded industry standards but added that microparticles are "everywhere" so "the possibility of them entering the product from ambient air or packaging materials during the bottling process can therefore not be completely ruled out".

It pointed out that there are no regulations on microplastics or a scientific consensus on how to test for them, and it also highlighted a much smaller German study last year that found plastic particles in single use bottles but not above a statistically significant amount.

It described the science of microplastics as "an emerging field, in its infancy, which requires further scientific analysis, peer-reviewed research and greater collaboration across many stakeholders".

The full Orb Media report can be found at www.OrbMedia.org

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Plastic particles found in bottled water

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David Shukman Science editor In the largest investigation of its kind, 250 bottles bought in nine different countries were examined. Research led by journalism organisation Orb Media discovered an average of 10 plastic particles per litre, each larger than the width of a human hair.

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Polyethylene terephthalate is the most common form of plastic, with plastic bottles made of this material. It is represented on an object with the digit '1', enveloped in a triangular shape made up of three curved arrows. It is the first type on the linked image '13.jpg'

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Companies use a thing called 'mineral fillers', as a way to blend the plastic resins with fillers as a way to reduce cost. Mineral fillers, when used properly can increase the moldability and stability of plastic. Minerals commonly used include: calcium carbonate, talc, silica, wollastonite, clay, calcium sulfate fibers (also known as Franklin fiber), mica, glass beads, and alumina trihydrate.

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What is the chemical make up of plastic?

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Is there a natural bacterium that may decompose the 'unbreakable' bonds found in plastic?

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What, apart from the plastic, will be the other componants of the soil?

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The amount of water the plant needs to stay healthy

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How might the temperature of the flight/conditions of transit effect the quality of the soil?

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The humidity of the soil

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(if it has) the the size, shape, colour, and smell of the flowers

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The height of the plant

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The size, shape, colour and moisture of the leaves

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The width, height, brittlness, moisture, colour of the stem

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The colour of the plant

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The radioactivity/acidity of the soil

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What plant will be used to distinguish the soil of highest quality?

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What variables might affect the soil while it is in space?

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What 'natural soil' will you compare it to, and what will be the componants of that soil?

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What are the qualities of a healthy plant?

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Of what type of plastic will the soil be made of?

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What variables make up a 'martian atmospere'?