Researchers have grown plants – some more effectively than others – in lunar soil for the first time, bringing the potential of cultivating crops on the moon one pathway leads. One small container of soil, one enormous stride for mankind’s understanding of space agriculture: scientists have grown plants in lunar dirt carried back by Apollo astronauts for the first time.
Researchers expect that one day they will be able to grow plants directly on the Moon, thanks to the groundbreaking experiment, which was published in the journal Communications Biology on Thursday.
However, the authors of the study from the University of Florida say there is still a lot more research to be done on the subject, and they plan to leave no stone unturned.
“This research is crucial to NASA’s long-term human exploration aspirations,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson stated. “Food options for future astronauts living and operating in deep space will have to be developed using resources available on the Moon and Mars.”
The scientists used only 12 grams (a few teaspoons) of lunar dirt gathered during the Apollo 11, 12, and 17 flights from various locations on the Moon for their experiment. They put around a gram of soil (called “regolith”) in tiny thimble-sized pots, then added water, followed by the seeds. Every day, the plants were also given a nutritional solution.
The researchers chose arabidopsis thaliana, a mustard greens related, to plant because it grows quickly and has been extensively studied. It has a well-known genetic code and responds to hazardous settings, including space.
Seeds were planted in Earth soil as well as samples that resembled lunar and Martian soil as a control group. After two days, everything, even the lunar samples, sprouted.
