(Sydney) Australian scientists want to try to grow plants on the moon by 2025 as part of a new mission unveiled on Friday with the aim of developing a colony.
Posted yesterday at 11:00 p.m.
“This project is a first step toward cultivating plants for food, medicine and oxygen production, all of which are crucial to establishing human life on the moon,” the researchers said in a statement. communicated.
Brett Williams, a plant biologist at Queensland University of Technology, said the seeds will be carried by the Beresheet 2 spacecraft – an Israeli private space mission.
After 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, says 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 in a statement.
This project is led by the organization Lunaria One, which includes Australian and Israeli scientists.