Scientists have proven that we can grow plants on the Moon, however they experience high levels of stress in the process.
This is why scientists have spent countless hours, days, and even years trying to. But now that we’ve proven that plants can grow on the Moon, we have to tackle another difficult issue. Making that growth easier on the plants.
Still, even taking this first step is absolutely astounding. The soil on the Moon is nothing like the soil that you can find on Earth. It’s sharper, more abrasive, and doesn’t contain any organic elements. So yes, while it does seem possible to grow plants on the Moon, there’s still a lot of legwork to do before we send our favorite plants to occupy the lunar surface. The researchers say that the plants grew, but they didn’t do fantastically well. There were signs of low volume, slow growth, and even some discoloration. All of which are signs that the plant is extremely stressed.
But growing plants on the Moon is a noble idea and one that just makes sense in the grand scheme. Plants provide oxygen, which could be used to help create atmospheres that are breathable within lunar colonies. Further, plants can provide food for astronauts and colonists living on the Moon.
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Scientists grow 1st plants in moon soilRebecca Sohn is a freelance science writer. She writes about a variety of science, health and environmental topics, and is particularly interested in how science impacts people's lives. She has been an intern at CalMatters and STAT, as well as a science fellow at Mashable. Rebecca, a native of the Boston area, studied English literature and minored in music at Skidmore College in Upstate New York and later studied science journalism at New York University.
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