The food-problem

interesting Idea! spheres humm

Are there any current experiments going on or planned with soils that can be created with raw materials that the Phoenix Lander has shown? What augments to the soil would be necessary or could the soils themselves be used as a nutrient base for hydroponics?

The Phoenix lander has found some indications of perchlorates in the soil.
The possibility was first raised by the Viking results of the 1970's. So it is not so much what would have to be added as what bad stuff would have to be cleaned out of the soil.

http://www.sciam.com/blog/60-second-sci ... 2008-08-04

Research into building farms inside city limits could be the best reference for growing food in space. These "vertical farms" at the very least can provide food growing ratios of 1 indoor acre for every 4-6 outdoor acres. They claim that strawberries could be grown in 1 indoor acre for every 30! Research is growing rapidly as food shortages continue to pop up around the world. China has had great interest along with several European countries. Assuming you can provide artificial gravity and design space based self-sufficiency systems, then growing food will be the way of the future.

http://www.verticalfarm.com/