Meet Jeremiah Bents, the Minnesota student who recreated Mars soil to test water cleanup

Mars may be millions of kilometres from Minnesota, but for Cloquet student Jeremiah Bents, one small part of a future Mars mission could be tested much closer to home. Instead of looking at how to reach the Red Planet, Bents turned his attention to what astronauts might do once they get there, particularly when dealing with water. His science fair project examined whether a Mars soil simulant could help remove ammonia from contaminated water. The idea brought planetary science into a school laboratory, using a material designed to mimic Martian soil rather than an actual sample from Mars. Bents' work later earned the Earth Systems Science Award at the Minnesota Academy of Science State Science & Engineering Fair in St Paul. Behind the project was guidance from university researchers and Nasa scientist Chris McKay, who also supplied a variant of Mars simulant for Bents to test.Jeremiah Bents tested Mars soil simulants for ammonia removal from waterWater would be one of the most important resources on a long-duration space mission, but having water available is not the same as having water that can be safely used. Bents built his science fair project around the question of whethe...