For the first time, a tree has been planted on lunar soil – an important milestone for the exploration of space and the moon.
Researchers from the University of Florida found that watercress, Arabidopsis thaliana, can successfully germinate and grow in soil taken from the moon.
The discovery could lay the groundwork for developing food and oxygen plants on the moon.
Rob Ferl, one of the study’s co-authors, said: “Showing that plants will grow in lunar soil is really a big step in the direction of being able to establish themselves in colonies of the moon. moon.”
Although Arabidopsis is edible, it is not tasty. The plant belongs to the cruciferous family, cauliflower and broccoli.
Anna-Lisa Paul, another co-author of the study, said: “The plants that are most responsive to what we call the oxidative stress response are the particular species in the Apollo samples. 11, they turn purple. .
“It’s the same thing in blueberries and cranberries.”
The discovery comes as NASA plans to return humans to the moon as part of the Artemis program later this decade.
The researchers added water, light and nutrients to 12 grams of lunar soil while analyzing growth.
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The team signed up to Nasa three times in 11 years for the chance to work with the sample, and only received it 18 months ago.
Although all plants germinate, some plants come in a variety of colors and sizes and grow more slowly than others. For comparison, some have been grown in soil from Earth.
The study was published in the journal Communications Biology.
