04. Is there any dirt in space? (A K2S Question)

From The Space Library

Yes and no. Dirt is a term that is used to describe rocks that have been broken down by moisture, temperature, wind and vegetation. Most likely, the other worlds in our solar system have had no organic material (vegetation and microbes) or moisture to break down the rocks. The fine substrates found on these worlds are inorganic rocks that have been broken down by wind and surface impacts. However, plants do utilize inorganic minerals for growth, and both the Moon and Mars have many of the nutrients that plants would need for growth. These substrates are called regoliths and have been experimented with on Earth. With the addition of a few additional nutrients, plants can utilize the nutrients in these regoliths for growth and development.

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Answer provided by Gregory Schlick

Question and Answer extracted from the book Kids to Space - by Lonnie Schorer

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