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posted by mrpg on Friday January 18 2019, @01:30PM   Printer-friendly
from the don't-lose-hope-humans! dept.

First green leaf on moon dies as temperatures plummet

The appearance of a single green leaf hinted at a future in which astronauts would grow their own food in space, potentially setting up residence at outposts on the moon or other planets. Now, barely after it had sprouted, the cotton plant onboard China’s lunar rover has died.

The plant relied on sunlight at the moon’s surface, but as night arrived at the lunar far side and temperatures plunged as low as -170C, its short life came to an end.

Prof Xie Gengxin of Chongqing University, who led the design of the experiment, said its short lifespan had been anticipated. “Life in the canister would not survive the lunar night,” Xie said.


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  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Friday January 18 2019, @03:53PM (2 children)

    by MichaelDavidCrawford (2339) Subscriber Badge <mdcrawford@gmail.com> on Friday January 18 2019, @03:53PM (#788269) Homepage Journal

    Sure one can dwell underground after one arrives there, but that the appolo guys could SEE solar radiation with their eyes shut led them to develop cataracts far out of proportion to the general population

    --
    Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 19 2019, @09:30PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 19 2019, @09:30PM (#788774)

    How much is "far out of proportion"? All I've read about are increased risk of cataract. Many occupations do indeed have higher risks for some diseases. Oh, and while it is likely I don't think anybody has conclusively proven that light flashes seen by the astronauts were "solar radiation". (Especially since not all astronauts see them). Maybe I'm wrong.