“Turning the red planet green,” has long been an aspiration of modern research. But with the recent development of aerospace technology, supporting the human colonization of Mars may not be as far-fetched as initially thought. Following the successful retrieval of Martian soil and analysis of its composition, the University of Central Florida has synthesized replicant “simulant” soils (MGS-1) equally safe for education and lab-based experiments alike. However, the lack of a proper macro/micro-nutrient profile in Martian soil is a major factor in inhibiting efficient plant growth for hypothetical agricultural harvest. Delivering the required nitrogen compounds to infertile soil has proven possible for the bacteria Azospirillum Brasilense in terrestrial environments, but what about these newly synthesized simulants? This project examines the potential of Azospirillum treatment as a medium of biofertilization for MGS-1, using common alfalfa (Medicago sativa) as a model organism. Through research at the Jackson Lab of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and community biolab Genspace, collected data will determine the viability of applying current phytoremediation technology to Martian soil in wet-lab environments. By conducting an analysis of plant growth genes and biomass of greenhouse-grown sample groups, the project will quantitatively compare the plant yields of fertilized Martian soil and agriculture-grade Earth soil. Additionally, by engineering fluorescent strains of Azospirillum, this project will include a thorough visualization and explanation of the mechanisms behind nitrogen fixation within our soil and root systems. The prospect of renewable bacterial fertilizers has vital implications to future efforts in establishing life amongst the extremely low-resourced climate of Mars. This project will hopefully establish a link between nitrogen-fixing bacteria and increased crop harvests on Martian soil simulants.