ST. LOUIS – For 20 years Pablo Sobron sought a better way to learn exactly what was in the soil, rock or any other substance on Mars. Instead of sampling and laboratory analysis – the old way of soil testing – scientists began to use lasers and sensors to get precision data quickly. Eventually that led Sobron to think the same type of technology could work on Earth, particularly on farms.
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Author is Eric Schmid of St. Louis Public Radio. This story is a product of the Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk, an independent reporting network based at the University of Missouri in partnership with Report for America, with major funding from the Walton Family Foundation.