For the first time in history, NASA would be sending seeds on a space mission in an attempt to grow them on the Moon.
Set to launch in 2015 as part of the commercial Moon Express lander project, this futuristic experiment would be delivering turnip, cress and basil seeds in specially constructed canisters, known as “Lunar Plant Growth Chambers”, to be planted on the Moon.
These canisters would carry enough air for ten days, which would allow the seeds to sprout and grow for five days—instead of planting them into the Moon’s soil, they would be grown on pieces of nutrient-laden filter paper, using natural sunlight for germination.
In addition to testing the feasibility of letting astronaut grow their own food while living on a lunar base, this experiment would also help to assess the Moon’s suitability in supporting life—if plants are able to survive the low-gravity, high-radiation environment on the Moon’s surface, humans would probably be able to do so as well.
Read more about this pioneering mission over here—it is likely to be the first step on the road towards humankind’s colonization of the Moon.
[via Telegraph]