NASA to grow plants on moon for the first time? has decided that for Artemis III which will happen in 2026, astronauts will grow plants on moon. Moreover, they will plant the seeds of cress, duckweed, and brassica.
Furthermore, the astronauts will look out for plant growth in the moon soil’s harsh environment. It is also known as Regolith. Also, duckweed is known to provide enough oxygen which will help astronauts to survive on the moon.
The University of Florida was successful in planting a seed in the moon soil. And its roots started to grow within 48 to 60 hours. Bill Nelson the administrator of NASA stated:
“This research is critical to NASA’s long-term human exploration goals as we’ll need to use resources found on the Moon and Mars to develop food sources for future astronauts living and operating in deep space,”
Further, he added
“This fundamental plant growth research is also a key example of how NASA is working to unlock agricultural innovations that could help us understand how plants might overcome stressful conditions in food-scarce areas here on Earth.”
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NASA to Grow Plants on Moon for the first time: University of Florida Breakthrough Discover
The University of Florida received 12g of moon soil which was collected from the Apollo missions 11, 12, and 17. In a thin plastic sheet cress seed was planted in one gram of lunar soil.
Then they provided it with nutrients to keep it moistened. They were kept in terrarium boxes and the roots started to grow within 48-60 hours.
“We were amazed, That told us that the lunar soils didn’t interrupt the hormones and signals involved in plant germination.”
Anna Paul Researcher Florida University
On the sixth day, the plants grew to a specific length. Afterward, there was no growth in the plant. The researchers revealed that this is due to the harsh environment on the lunar soil.
“Additionally, some had stunted leaves and sported reddish pigmentation.”
“At the genetic level, the plants were pulling out the tools typically used to cope with stressors, such as salt and metals or oxidative stress, so we can infer that the plants perceive the lunar soil environment as stressful,”
NASA revealed that the RNA sequence of plants is built up like this because of lunar soil.
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The astronauts collected moon soil from Apollo missions 11, 12, and 17. Moreover, the researchers from the University of Florida looked through all three regoliths and revealed that Apollo 11 moon soil was not as good as the other two moon soils. Every soil was different from the other one.
“How plants might overcome stressful conditions in food-scarce areas here on Earth.”
Bill Nelson Administrator of NASA
“Not only is it pleasing for us to have plants around us, especially as we venture to new destinations in space, but they could provide supplemental nutrition to our diets and enable future human exploration, Plants are what enable us to be explorers.”
Sharmila Bhattacharya, program scientist at NASA
Wrap Up
In 2022, the University of Florida was successful in growing plants on moon. The researchers planted a cress seed in moon soil collected from Apollo missions. Even in such a harsh environment, the plants were able to grow within 48-60 hours. However, they have restricted roots.
According to the RNA of plants, they were built up like this due to moon soil containing rock, tiny glass pieces, and lack of water in their nature. However, in the 2026 mission astronauts will grow plants on moon soil.
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FAQs
Did NASA grow plants on the Moon?
According to the University of Florida, they were successful in growing plants on moon. They planted a cress seed in lunar soil which started to grow within 48-60 hours.
Which plant was first planted on moon?
Cress seed also known as Arabidopsis Thaliana is the first plant to grow on the moon by NASA.
How Artemis astronauts plan to grow plants on the Moon?
The Artemis astronauts will be the first in history to set up a mini greenhouse on the surface of the moon. If everything goes according to the plan this will happen in the Artemis mission to moon 2026.
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