(Image Credit: Peepoople.com)

Unlike our beloved Earth, Martian soil is very hostile to terrestrial plants.

While this may not hinder our efforts to visit the red planet, it will prevent us from raising crop and planting forests upon this barren dusty world.

Fortunately there seems to be an innovative invention that may resolve this issue–although it may turn a few noses.

(Physorg.com) While efforts have been made to design inexpensive toilets, Swedish inventor Anders Wilhelmson is taking an even more low-tech approach to the problem. He has designed the “Peepoo,” a biodegradable plastic bag that serves as a single-use toilet for individuals in the developing world. After the bag is used and buried in the ground, urea crystals coating the bag sterilize the solid human waste and break it down into fertilizer for crops. Wilhelmson says that his company, Peepoople, can sell the bags for about 2 or 3 cents.

Not only would this be much cheaper than importing fertilizer from Earth, but I could also enable us to raise a few animals off world (like pigs, chickens and of course man’s best friend).

While utilizing our own waste would require the first Martians to maintain a high level of sanitization (perhaps via plasma gas?), it could be the only practical way for us to conquer the crimson world.

–Posted on my iPhone

(Image Credit: Phil Wilson of the New York Times)

Having existed for thousands of years on Earth, soap has helped keep our human hands clean since the days of ancient Babylon.

Unfortunately if our species ever travel beyond the sky, creating this cleanser via fats and oils may be just a ludicrous as importing it from the home world (aka Earth just in case you were wondering).

Instead of spending minuets scrubbing your hands in sub Earth gravity, future colonists instead could disinfect their hands via plasma gas (in mere seconds nonetheless).

(New York Times) Instead of scrubbing, the workers would put their hands into a small box that bathes them with plasma — the same sort of luminous gas found in neon signs, fluorescent tubes and TV displays. This plasma, though, is at room temperature and pressure, and is engineered to zap germs, including the drug-resistant supergerm MRSA.

The technology is being developed in several laboratories. Gregor Morfill, who created several prototypes using the technology at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Garching, Germany, says the plasma quickly inactivates not only bacteria but also viruses and fungi.

Since micro gravity is one of few environments dangerous micro organisms love, having plasma gas around to sanitize hands, feet as well as everything in between (and above) could help keep future settlers healthy whether they are living off world or traveling to another.

Combined with anti-germ paint, future space colonists may not have to fear receiving a deadly infection from a creature that they can not see (as they will have plenty of other issues to worry about).

(Via Gizmodo)

Russia, a nation nation known for putting the first satellite, man, woman, dog, etc. into space (not to mention being the first to pioneer space tourism with Space Adventures) may embrace nuclear rockets to help them reach the stars (and perhaps even Mars as well).

While a nuclear rocket from a practical stand point makes sense (as they can lift heavier objects to orbit compared to their chemical cousins), it would probably also isolate Russia (since anything nuclear is often frowned upon–at least in the west).

It may also help Russia catch up to America (or rather the private sector) as well as maintain their lead against China, whose presence is motivating everyone to claim a piece of Luna for their own.

(via Spaceports)

This is probably the best move NASA has made since launching a web page to prove why the agency was still relevant.

While that last manuver obviously failed (as Obama is outsourcing the Moon to the private sector), their latest iPhone app may help show the public how fun (not to mention difficult) it is to roam upon the Moon without a nearby gas station.

NASA may want to consider creating more of these apps upon other worlds such as Mars, Titan or even Pluto (in order to help keep “the vision” alive), although hopefully they will consider porting this app over to Android (as I know plenty of space geeks who would enjoy a road trip on the Moon).

(Hat Tip: Mashable)

– Posted from my iPhone

Thanks to the billions of dead things crushed in liquified form (aka oil), humans are able to create an environmentally unfriendly (but useful) material called plastic.

Unfortunately for future space settlers, plastic will not be an easy material to replace in space without heavily importing it from our Earthen homeworld.

However a new material made out of 95% water may help space settelers replace plastic with a more environmentally alternative.

(Nature.com) Here we report that water and clay (2–3 per cent by mass), when mixed with a very small proportion (<0.4 per cent by mass) of organic components, quickly form a transparent hydrogel. This material can be moulded into shape-persistent, free-standing objects owing to its exceptionally great mechanical strength, and rapidly and completely self-heals when damaged. Furthermore, it preserves biologically active proteins for catalysis.

Although scientists would have to find suitable clay for each world (as the soil on Earth would be drastically different than Callisto or Mars), this “elastic water” could make it easier for humanity to live else where.

(Hat Tip and Image Credit via Kirai)

– Posted from my iPhone

Forget inflatable space bases or mobile lunar outposts embracing the way of the nomad.

Future lunar settlers may end up settling within lunar caves starting with this one discovered by Japan’s lunar satellite SELENE (video courtesy of Spacevidcast, via Space Transport News).

Since radiation will be a major factor for future lunar colonists, establishing outposts within these caves may be the wisest course of action (at least until artificial magnetic fields are perfected).