Friday, 13 May 2022

Once In a Green Moon?

For the first time, biologists have grown plants on soil, brought back from the moon by the Apollo astronauts (https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/may/12/scientists-grow-plants-moon-soil-first-time). This soil is quite coarse and contains glass-like fragments from micro-meteorites. The little Thale grass plants appeared stunted, after their first week of growth. Using lunar soil from locations, exposed for longer to cosmic radiation and the solar wind, resulted in more stunting. These results suggest it will be possible (with tweaks?) to grow foods for lunar colonists, without having to take plant bedding material with them.

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