Plants on the moon, its survival will be tested by seeds sent to the moon in 2025

The moon is a dead rock, yet despite the fact that no living creature has ever been discovered on its harsh surface, some types of Earth life may be able to survive.

Scientists hope to cultivate plants on the moon

Scientists from the Australian National University (ANU) hope to cultivate plants on the moon by 2025 in conjunction with the start-up Lunaria One. The Australian Lunar Experiment Promoting Horticulture (ALEPH-1) payload will be launched on SpaceIL's Beresheet 2 lander, a project Israel announced immediately after the failure of its maiden moon mission in 2020. A similar experiment was conducted by China on its Chang'e 4 lander, which successfully grew cotton seedlings.

Nothing
has ever grown on the moon

Nothing has ever been cultivated on the moon directly before. Despite being enclosed in a secure container, the ALEPH-1 plants and seeds will encounter several hurdles. Water will be unbelievably valuable on the moon, gravity will be less, day and night will span seven Earth days, and there will be no atmosphere to shelter the surface from deadly solar radiation.

"Space is an ideal trial ground for how to propagate plants in the harshest of circumstances," said Caitlyn Byrt, an ANU plant biologist and research advisor for Lunaria One.

Sending the most feasible candidates

Before the launch, ANU and Lunaria One researchers will collaborate to ensure that they are sending out the most feasible candidates. Some potential species, such as the Australian grass Tripogon loliformis, are known as "resurrection plants." These plants are the botanical equivalent of the resilient microscopic "water bear," or tardigrade: they can spring back to life and flourish after lengthy periods of hibernation and dryness. Simply add water.

What could be the benefits of growing plants on the moon?

Plants that can survive on the moon might be more than simply a food source. They may also provide breathing air to astronauts, and some of them might be utilized to produce drugs that could someday be synthesized on-site rather than relying on supplies from Earth.

ALEPH-1 can also educate us how to deal with climate change on Earth by discovering edible plant species that can withstand harsh circumstances and rapidly recover from adversity like as drought.

"If you can develop a system for growing plants on the moon, you can develop a system for growing food in some of the most difficult settings on the planet," Byrt said in a statement.

Byrt and her colleagues expect that at least some seeds will germinate within 72 hours after Beresheet 2 touching down and ALEPH-1 hydrating them. During that period, the payload will send photographs back to Earth on a regular basis, which the project hopes to share.

This mission will surely set another milestone in space exploration that could be beneficial to humankind.