Scientists are Planning to Launch Seeds to the Moon in 2025
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VIVA – Scientists from the Australian National University (ANU) wanted to launch plant seeds on the moon by 2025. These scientists collaborated with start-up Lunaria One.
Experiment Promoting Horticulture (ALEPH-1) will launch aboard SpaceIL's Beresheet 2 lander, according to an Israeli project announcement. A similar experiment was carried out by China through the Chang'e 4 lander which succeeded in growing cotton seeds, as quoted from the Space page, Friday, October 21, 2022.
Nothing had ever grown directly on the Moon before. While ALEPH-1 plants and seeds will be kept in protective enclosures, they will still face many challenges.
On Earth's natural satellite, water would be precious, gravity would be weaker, day and night would last seven Earth days each and no atmosphere would shield the surface from harmful solar radiation.
"Space is a tremendous testing ground for deploying plants in the most extreme environments," The plant biologist at ANU, Caitlyn Byrt said.
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Before launch, researchers from ANU and Lunaria One will work to ensure they send out the most viable candidates out there.
One candidate is an Australian grass called Tripogon loliformis. Flora like this is the botanical version of the powerful microscopic 'water bear'. They can come back to life and thrive, even after dormancy and dehydration, it is enough just to give them water.
Plants capable of surviving on the Moon could represent more than just a source of food. They might also supply breathable oxygen for astronauts, and some are used to develop drugs that could eventually be produced without relying on shipping from Earth.
"If you can create a system for growing plants on the moon, then you can create a system for growing food in some of the most challenging environments on Earth," Byrt said in the statement.
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