One Man Is Planning For Life On Mars By Building A Sustainable Greenhouse In His Yard

Could Mars truly be inhabitable again one day? NASA has been exploring the possibility, and there’s the potential to have inflatable greenhouses on the planet. By putting them underground and equipping them with LED lighting, they could thrive under similar conditions on Earth. A couple in Washington are also creating a solution for agriculture on the alternate planet.

Jeff Raymond and his wife have spent seven years working on the “Real Martian,” a large solar-powered greenhouse. In an introductory video on his YouTube page, Raymond details that they spent five years researching, one year designing, and so far one year building the project with one more to go. This is also just the prototype he’s working on.

There’s further steps in the process, including automation after the structure is complete and then filling up the inside of the greenhouse. After those steps are completed, Raymond will begin the long process of creating the official build next to the prototype “with all of the improvements.” The goal is to build a self-sustaining system inside of the greenhouse.

Raymond got the idea to build a greenhouse after gaining the desire to take action over using words. He wanted to bring sustainable food and energy into his community. That has morphed into the potential to help bring agriculture into Mars and why it’s been given the name, “Real Martian.”

“This system will replicate exactly what people need on Mars,” Raymond says in the video. “Where we live is actually teaching us a whole lot of things about what you’re going to need to know when you get to Mars.” He goes on to give an example of solar panels that could be covered in dust. Where he lives, snow obviously brings a lot of impact. Issues that he faces can teach lessons for those that are wanting to live on the other planet.

Raymond mentions Elon Musk and the entrepreneur’s SpaceX program. Founded back in 2002, Musk had a goal to eliminate the high costs of space travel and transporting our things to the planet. The company continues to thrive with reports of six successful missions in this year alone after suffering a setback last September where a rocket exploded on the launch pad. The greenhouse builder hopes he can help people stay alive when they get there.

At the moment, “Real Martian” is a side project that has some funding on Patreon and GoFundMe. Raymond releases videos on his YouTube page constantly for anyone to follow each step of the process. He delivers activity updates, answers questions, and asks for input from viewers on he and his wife should do on various steps. He’s extremely active within the community and clearly shows his passion in the project.

It’ll be interesting to see where the “Real Martian” ends up. Not only will it be fulfilling the needs of his community, but it could give us some great ideas on how to build a sustainable environment on Mars.