The mission intends, among other things, serve as a laboratory to find solutions to food security problems caused by global warming.
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Australian scientists want to try to grow plants on the Moon by 2025 as part of a new mission unveiled Friday, October 7, with the aim of developing a colony. “This project is a first step towards cultivating plants for food, medicine and oxygen production, all of which are crucial for the establishment of human life on the Moon.“, the researchers said in a statement.
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Brett Williams, a plant biologist at Queensland University of Technology in eastern Australia, said the seeds will be carried by the Beresheet 2 spacecraft, an Israeli private space mission. After the moon landing and once in the ground, the seeds will be watered in a sealed chamber and scientists will watch for any signs of germination.
The types of plants will be chosen according to their ability to withstand extreme weather conditions, but also according to the speed of their germination. Apart from creating the beginnings of human life on the Moon, this mission could also serve as a laboratory to find solutions to food security problems caused by global warming, suggests Caitlin Byrt, professor at the Australian National University.
“If you can create a system to grow plants on the Moon, then you can create a system to grow food in some of the harshest environments on Earth”, she noted. This project is led by the organization Lunaria One, which includes Australian and Israeli scientists.