Get the latest tech news

Will plants grow on the moon?


Will Plants Grow on the Moon? Three Earth plants will soon make a new home on the lunar surface. By Tom Metcalfe Sign up for our monthly newsletter! Three humble plants from Earth will soon travel to a new home on the moon. The plants—a mustard cress, a type of brassica, and a duckweed that...

The plants—a mustard cress, a type of brassica, and a duckweed that grows in ponds—are part of the LEAF project, and will be placed on the moon’s surface when NASA’s Artemis III mission arrives there in the near future—possibly as soon as 2026. Scientists want to figure out how to provide enough air, food, and water for astronauts on space missions that may take months or years, and biological solutions could help make that a more realistic goal. Porterfield will examine the genetic material returned to Earth from the experiment, which will reveal how the plants adapted during their sojourn—they’re expected to create substances in their cells to protect them from increased radiation, for example.

Get the Android app

Or read this on Hacker News

Read more on:

Photo of Moon

Moon

Photo of Plants

Plants

Related news:

News photo

Chandrayaan, Mangalyaan: Why it costs India so little to reach the Moon and Mars

News photo

Chandrayaan, Mangalyaan: Why it costs India so little to reach the Moon and Mars

News photo

Uranus' moon Miranda may have an ocean beneath its surface