NASA's Artemis III will be a 2026 mission with a unique payload designed to investigate the feasibility of growing plants in the lunar environment.
NASA has selected the first scientific instruments that astronauts can deploy to the moon's surface during Artemis III, including the Lunar Effects on Agricultural Flora (LEAF). LEAF will study how the lunar environment affects space crops, examining plant photosynthesis, growth and stress responses under space radiation and partial gravity.
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After the Artemis III mission is completed, the cultivated plants will be meticulously returned to Earth for extensive analysis at the molecular level. This groundbreaking venture advances our understanding of sustainable living in space and paves the way for future colonization projects.
Meet 'miracle plant'
The plants include thale cress, duckweed and Brassica rapa. These will be placed in a protected growth chamber to ensure that the harsh conditions do not compromise their survival and growth on and off the lunar surface.
Duckweed stands out among the chosen group of plants as a hardy species that can withstand many environmental challenges. It has a higher protein content than most food crops, making it an ideal food crop for future space colonies. Brassica rapa, a fast-growing relative of cabbage and broccoli, offers a promising prospect of thriving in space habitats beyond Earth.
The mission's success could lead to the creation of self-sustaining habitats on the moon and beyond, which would mark a major step forward in humanity's journey into space exploration.
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Meanwhile, Artemis III will explore the moon's south polar region, within 6 degrees of latitude of the south pole. The mission's proposed landing sites are in some of the moon's oldest regions.
A study published in 2022 by American researchers involved growing a flowering plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, in 12 small containers, each containing a gram of authentic lunar soil collected during NASA missions more than fifty years ago.
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Published: May 9, 2024 11:00 AM IST