Nasa’s plan to cultivate crops on the Moon
Nasa is planning to grow plants on the Moon for the first time when it sends humans back to the lunar surface.
The United States space agency has announced that the Artemis III astronauts will deploy a series of growth chambers containing thale cress and duckweed to see how the plants fare in partial gravity, and cope with the rigours of space radiation.
Red-and-green varieties of Brassica rapa have also been chosen. The fast-growing relatives of cabbage and broccoli go from seed to plant to flower in 14 days.
The mission, which will be the first Moon landing since 1972, is due for launch in September 2026, and preparing the way for a permanent base to be established.
Growing crops on the lunar surface would mean less food would need to be shipped from Earth, while plants such as duckweed can also provide oxygen.
The project called Leaf, which stands for Lunar Effects on Agricultural Flora, is being devised by the Colorado-based Space Lab Technologies, which is also developing a greenhouse for growing crops on Mars.
Christine Escobar, the vice-president of Space Lab, who is leading the project, said: “This research will be a pivotal step toward understanding how we might use agriculture in space to support human crew, paving the way for sustained lunar exploration and even missions to Mars.”
Seeds will be planted in specially designed growth chambers which protect seedlings from excessive sunlight, radiation and the vacuum of space, while allowing observation of photosynthesis, growth and responses to stress.
The team is keen to study how the lunar environment impacts germination, and at the end of the Artemis III mission the plants will be brought back to Earth, so they can be studied at a molecular level.
Cress has been chosen because its genetic code has been fully mapped, so scientists will be able to study any DNA changes. Duckweed, which is the smallest flowering plant on Earth, is usually found forming large “carpets” on lakes and ponds and can double in size every two days.
Nasa said the project would help prepare for “long-duration human presence on the Moon, which will help prepare to send astronauts to Mars”.