NASA Opens Public Contest to Turn CO2 to Sugar on Mars

NASA has some of the most talented minds from across the world. However, it seems the agency now needs some ideas from outside. NASA has opened a public contest that seeks effective ideas to turn Carbon Dioxide to Sugar on Mars. It’s not a simple contest, because NASA is offering a bounty of $1 Million for anyone who suggests an effective idea to do so. Of course, this plan comes as the part of NASA’s efforts to make the Red Planet a host to sustainable life and energy. One of the earliest things to do is to reduce the amount of CO2 in the Martian world.

Monsi Roman, program manager of NASA’s Centennial Challenges program, says that the plan is part of the strategy NASA is planning for expanding living to other planets. Because it’s not possible to take everything to the platform via transportation means, there should be some way to create the resources in Mars itself. NASA plans to transform the abundance of carbon dioxide into something really useful, for example, sugar. These resources can then be used for setting up human camps and making things suitable for humans who may colonize the place later. It’s food that NASA is basically looking at.

NASA believes that, if there is a way to convert Carbon Dioxide to sugar, the end product can be food, which can be used for other purposes. It should be noted that this happens on Earth without any interference from humans — all thanks to photosynthesis. On Mars, however, some other methods should be used for this to happen. The food, made via this method, can be given to bioreactors as well. These bioreactors are helpful in creating a wide variety of things that would help in the colonization process. The challenge happens since NASA has not been able to achieve the same so far.