McCoy Posted May 29, 2011 Report Share Posted May 29, 2011 Re: Off-world crops? Possibly' date=' although I heard consuming too much soybean isn't good for the body. [/quote'] There's a compound that mimics estrogen. I believe it's also what makes a lot of the things made from soybean taste like plastic. With any luck it can be GMed out. And people will need more variety anyway. You would be amazed if not appalled by how much of the average American diet depends on one monocrop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucius Posted May 29, 2011 Report Share Posted May 29, 2011 Re: Off-world crops? You would be amazed if not appalled by how much of the average American diet depends on one monocrop. That would be maize, aka corn? Lucius Alexander Feed it to the palindromedary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
assault Posted May 29, 2011 Report Share Posted May 29, 2011 Re: Off-world crops? I think barley and hops would be likely candidates... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmjalund Posted May 29, 2011 Report Share Posted May 29, 2011 Re: Off-world crops? "would you like monocrop with that" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McCoy Posted May 29, 2011 Report Share Posted May 29, 2011 Re: Off-world crops? That would be maize, aka corn? Lucius Alexander Feed it to the palindromedary Yep. In the processed food, the beef, the dairy, the pork, the poultry, the eggs. High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is beginning to show up in all sorts of places you wouldn't think it belongs, and may become even more widespread now that they can call it "corn sugar." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sinanju Posted May 31, 2011 Report Share Posted May 31, 2011 Re: Off-world crops? http://www.nss.org/settlement/ColoniesInSpace/colonies_chap09.html Chapter 9 from "Colonies in Space" considers the possibilities for feeding colonists. You can raise all kinds of vegetables hydroponically in large quantities, year round. In addition, you can raise various animals--fish, rabbits, goats--which can eat the parts of plants we don't (raising animals that eat the same plant foods we do is a wasteful extravagance), and use them for meat (or in the case of goats, for milk, butter, etc.). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkdguy Posted May 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2011 Re: Off-world crops? Nice link, thanks, sinanju! Repped after I've recharged. Edit: Repped as promised. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmadanNaBriona Posted May 31, 2011 Report Share Posted May 31, 2011 Re: Off-world crops? (or in the case of goats' date=' for milk, butter, etc.).[/quote'] And Spidersilk! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L. Marcus Posted May 31, 2011 Report Share Posted May 31, 2011 Re: Off-world crops? Those colonists, they will be finely dressed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkdguy Posted June 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2011 Re: Off-world crops? I've had a long day after a mostly sleepless night, so pardon me if this question has been answered already. I was thinking about the effects of low-g habitats on crops and livestock. A space station can rotate quickly enough to achieve 1-g. But colonies on the Moon and Mars won't have that option. How would plants and animals be affected by the lower gravity in those places? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McCoy Posted June 1, 2011 Report Share Posted June 1, 2011 Re: Off-world crops? I've had a long day after a mostly sleepless night, so pardon me if this question has been answered already. I was thinking about the effects of low-g habitats on crops and livestock. A space station can rotate quickly enough to achieve 1-g. But colonies on the Moon and Mars won't have that option. How would plants and animals be affected by the lower gravity in those places? Don't believe we know yet. We've tried full gravity and microgravity, don't believe the low gravity experiment has been done yet. I suspect but don't know plants would adapt better than animals, aquatic critters better than land animals. If needed, centrifuges can be built planetside. More acceleration is always an option, less is the hard part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkdguy Posted June 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2011 Re: Off-world crops? That sounds like an interesting solution. Thanks, McCoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmadanNaBriona Posted June 1, 2011 Report Share Posted June 1, 2011 Re: Off-world crops? I tremble to consider what bamboo and kudzu would be like in low gravity conditions Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McCoy Posted June 1, 2011 Report Share Posted June 1, 2011 Re: Off-world crops? I tremble to consider what bamboo and kudzu would be like in low gravity conditions "If you hold real still you can actually see them growing." "If you hold too still you can feel them climbing you!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L. Marcus Posted June 1, 2011 Report Share Posted June 1, 2011 Re: Off-world crops? If needed' date=' centrifuges can be built planetside. More acceleration is always an option, less is the hard part.[/quote'] Inverted centrifuges. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted June 1, 2011 Report Share Posted June 1, 2011 Re: Off-world crops? Or what size rats hitching a ride in seed shipments would grow to in low-g. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McCoy Posted June 1, 2011 Report Share Posted June 1, 2011 Re: Off-world crops? Or what size rats hitching a ride in seed shipments would grow to in low-g. Humm, giant boneless rats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L. Marcus Posted June 1, 2011 Report Share Posted June 1, 2011 Re: Off-world crops? Probably more resembling sauce bolognese than anything else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escafarc Posted June 1, 2011 Report Share Posted June 1, 2011 Re: Off-world crops? Don't believe we know yet. We've tried full gravity and microgravity, don't believe the low gravity experiment has been done yet. I suspect but don't know plants would adapt better than animals, aquatic critters better than land animals. If needed, centrifuges can be built planetside. More acceleration is always an option, less is the hard part. Back in the 80s we were growing cabbage in a large centrifuge at The Land attraction at Epocot. They had a lot of different ideas for growing multiple crops in the same space too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cancer Posted June 1, 2011 Report Share Posted June 1, 2011 Re: Off-world crops? I was thinking about the effects of low-g habitats on crops and livestock. A space station can rotate quickly enough to achieve 1-g. But colonies on the Moon and Mars won't have that option. How would plants and animals be affected by the lower gravity in those places? If you stick with aquaculture (and on a planet surface, there's reasons why aquaculture is a decent idea; the huge mass of a significant body of water isn't so much of an issue there), growing stuff in tanks, I don't think it'd be a huge problem. The challenge might become keeping the water from becoming stagnant, since the buoyant force is proportional to g, and a lot of current aquaculture technique relies on bubbling air through the water both to improve oxygenation and to induce water circulation. With a lower-g planet, you may need to supplement the circulation with mechanical impelling for efficient mixing of O2/CO2 and other nutrients through the tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmjalund Posted June 1, 2011 Report Share Posted June 1, 2011 Re: Off-world crops? you might use He rather than N2 in your air, to help with buoyant force. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkdguy Posted June 3, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 3, 2011 Re: Off-world crops? Or what size rats hitching a ride in seed shipments would grow to in low-g. Humm' date=' giant boneless rats.[/quote'] I made a note in one of the colonies in L5, barbecued rat on a stick is considered a popular snack in the bistros. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escafarc Posted June 3, 2011 Report Share Posted June 3, 2011 Re: Off-world crops? I made a note in one of the colonies in L5' date=' barbecued rat on a stick is considered a popular snack in the bistros.[/quote'] There are places in Asia where this is already true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkdguy Posted June 4, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2011 Re: Off-world crops? There are places in Asia where this is already true. I know, I know... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McCoy Posted June 5, 2011 Report Share Posted June 5, 2011 Re: Off-world crops? Inverted centrifuges. I originally took that as a joke, but thinking about it I can't see why it wouldn't work (except, of course, an equipment failure becomes really,really messy as everything crashes to the ceiling). Has this been tried? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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