Research & DevelopementBefore a product will be produced and used it needs certain in-situ studies, that will confirm the optimal production characteristics aswell as safety issues and solve unexpected problems.
The same was for ISS - The same will be aplied to Mars Colony.
Colonists, before they will make a wide-production they will need to make on-site studies.
Practicly it means, that:
a) before you will grow plants, you will first have to study a certain species under monitored conditions. When that's done - you will unlock that plant, and you will be able to grow it.
For instance: you just started the colony and wanted to grow some plants. You go to the seed-container and get a
soya bean seed. You put that seed inside
Plant Research Unit. After
14 sols the test is completed. Now you can plant the
soya bean seeds inside the
plant-bins, and watch them grow. Next, you want to get a
corn plant...again - you put it inside the
Plant Research Unit and wait
28 sols (each plant has a different growing speed). After 28 sols, you can plant corn inside the planter-bins.
b) before you can breed animals, you will first have to nurse them inside
The Advanced Animal Habitat-Centrifuge.
For instance - you want to breed
carp. You go get some
carp caviar and insert it at the
The Advanced Animal Habitat-Centrifuge. After
10 sols the analysis is complete, and you can now breed carp. The same goes with other animals...
c) before you can use certain bioreactors, you would first need to do a study at
The Biomass Production System.
For instance - you want to use an algae reactor for food production. You conduct a study at
The Biomass Production System and after
1 sol the test is completed (algae reactor is unlocked) and you can now grow algae for food.
You can also study the methanol/ethanol algae cycles, that will alow you to gather those alcoholes from agae farm (as a side product from food production), and use it as a fuel that can be used instead of methane.
d) <The same goes for insects, worms, bugs etc.....like bees for creating honey and generating seeds from plants, worms as a food for fish, worms as a food for humans, and mushrooms to eat>
e) <The same goes for Manufacturing and Transforming minerals>
The Advanced Animal Habitat-Centrifuge
Plant Research Unit
The Biomass Production System![](http://flighthardware-spacebiosciences.arc.nasa.gov/BPS/65781main_bps.jpg)