The first nation to set down a spacecraft on the far side of the moon was China. The Chang’e-4 lunar rover carried a small biosphere with six living organisms, including cotton seeds, as part of its journey. Researchers used information from the biosphere experiment to create a synthetic simulation of the cotton plant. According to the simulation, the plant produced two leaves before succumbing to the weather.
When the Chang’e-4 spacecraft landed on the far side of the moon, China created history. The Lunar Micro Ecosystem was introduced to the moon’s surface by the expedition, which was also the first to attempt to grow plants on the moon (LME). The only differences from Earth’s environment in this tiny, cylinder-shaped ecosystem were microgravity and cosmic radiation. The LME contained the following:
young cotton plants
rapeseeds
yeast
fruit fly eggs
Arabidopsis thaliana is a well-known weed.
All of these plants died quickly, except for cotton. A recent 3D reconstruction shows that the cotton plant grew two leaves before it died from the cold after about two weeks. The results show that the experiment worked a bit better than expected.
The leader of the experiment, Xie Gengxin of the Advanced Technology Research Institute at Chongqing University, has no plans to write any scientific articles about this research. He does, however, plan to keep looking into how different kinds of life could live on the moon.
WHY DOES N.A.S.A WISH TO GROW PLANTS IN SPACE?
If N.A.S.A or other space agencies want to do long-term missions, they need to figure out how to take care of plants in space all the time.
“Simply packing some multi-vitamins will not be enough to keep astronauts healthy as they explore deep space,” N.A.S.A wrote. “They will need fresh produce.”
Why? Some reasons are just about how things work. For example, the nutrients in supplements and ready-made meals can break down over time. Radiation may speed up this process. Growing fresh vegetables would give astronauts more nutrients and make their food taste better. If astronauts could grow plants in space, they wouldn’t have to bring as much food that has already been cooked.
But growing plants in space can help people feel better about themselves.
“We already know from our pioneering astronauts that fresh flowers and gardens on the International Space Station create a beautiful atmosphere and let us take a little piece of Earth with us on our journeys,” N.A.S.A wrote. “They’re good for our psychological well-being on Earth and in space.”
N.A.S.A also wants to make it more fun for astronauts to eat while they are in space. For example, on recent trips, the agency made comfort food and holiday dinners. It also did research on whether astronauts prefer to eat alone or with a group and whether cooking their own food is better for them. Other researchers are looking into how astronauts’ emotional needs might be met by the food they eat in space, as well as how to fix problems in the room like not being able to smell.
“At the end of the day, we’re not worried about the muscle cells,” N.A.S.A nutritionist Scott Smith told Eater. “We’re worried about the human.”
Soucre: viralonce.xyz