China wants to grow potatoes on the Moon in 2018
It has sometimes been mentioned that potatoes could grow on Mars. But ... on the Moon? According to the Chongqing Morning Post, China will try to create a small ecosystem in its next lunar module and check if you can grow potatoes on the lunar surface.
The landing module is called Chang'e 4, and will be sent to the surface of the Moon in 2018. The Asian country unveiled its plans for this experiment at the Beijing Global Space Exploration Conference this week. The ecosystem will be a small cylinder that measures 18 × 16 centimeters, and will not only include the seeds of the potatoes, but also silk worm eggs.
"Eggs will hatch and produce carbon dioxide, while potatoes and seeds emit oxygen through photosynthesis," says Zhang Yuanxun, chief of ecosystem design.
Although the temperature on the Moon can vary between -170 ° C and 100 ° C, the ecosystem will be built with an insulation material to keep plants and insects at a moderate temperature, along with artificial lights inside.
No country has attempted to do something like this. The most similar has been the crops that have been planted on the International Space Station, but have never been made on the surface of another celestial body other than Earth.
Reference:
IFLScience
Good research, this will help to increase food security.