Potatoes are made into many different foods on Earth, from French Fries to Hash browns, we even have the state Idaho, nicknamed the potato state. We even have grown Potatoes in space! Seed potatoes were first tested in space in 1995 aboard the Space Shuttle mission STS-73. During the 16 day orbiting trip, the astronauts aboard successfully grew five small Potatoes. Then when the International Space Station (ISS) came into service, Potatoes were grown there as well. The food is a tasty treat compared to the dried food in space. Potatoes are also a healthy snack for astronauts, for one they're rich in vitamin C which helps aid in the workings of our heart, muscles, and nervous system. But what if we could use them to make our home on Mars? 

It's Not As Crazy As You Think

It may sound very ridiculous, but it's true! In a recent study for StarCrete, a space company, they created a Concrete-like material that is made out of simulated Martian soil, potato starch and salt. They shaped it into a brick and discovered that it was twice as strong as an average concrete brick on Earth. How they measure how powerful a brick is by a megapascal which is basically how much pressure you would have to put on it to break. A concrete block on Earth has about 32 Megapascals (MPa) but the Potato mixture made a shocking 72 MPa. Even though this is a large amount it's still nothing compared to steel which requires between 450 and 750 MPa to crush it. 

A Good Source?

Could potatoes be a good building material? It's a very good debate, Mars is a very unforgiving planet. A few bricks wouldn’t protect you from its cold, dusty weather and dangerous solar radiation. NASA believes that when humans go to Mars, they will have to go underground to avoid the deadly radiation from the Sun. And it's freezing below the surface of Mars, the temperatures can go down to minus 195 degrees! And bricks are not the best a abordbing in heat. Most likely when we first go to Mars we will use a light-weight metal. But we may use potatoes as a food source, they can grow in many different conditions. 

So maybe we can use the food for a future home?