SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
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.
This discussion has been archived.
No new comments can be posted.
First Green Leaf on Moon Dies as Temperatures Plummet
|
Log In/Create an Account
| Top
| 86 comments
| Search Discussion
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
This login session: $13.76, but for you $11.88.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Immerman on Friday January 18 2019, @03:54PM (3 children)
You're absolutely right. It's too bad that there's no such thing as insulation or artificial lights to compensate for the fierce diurnal cycle on the moon. Nor any convenient rock to use as radiation shielding. Nor massive amounts of available oxygen (with sufficient energy for chemical synthesis - the Moon is estimated to be 60% oxygen by mass). Nor massive amounts of silicon to make solar panels (most of that oxygen is bound into silicon dioxide).
Basically, barring the extremely light elements, the moon has pretty much the same mix of resources as the Earth, though some
Water will be a legitimate issue in the long term, as the moon appears to lack significant hydrogen reserves. Fortunately sufficient short-term water ice deposits seem to be present, and hydrogen is extremely light - every 1kg of hydrogen will produce 9kg of water. And we're getting better at producing closed-system ecologies - while the moon would finally give us a decent short-term reason to start investing seriously in that research.
Dust will also be an issue - though that will be a problem pretty much anywhere in space, and it's probably easier to learn to deal with dust that's only mechanically toxic rather than chemically as well.
(Score: 2) by isostatic on Friday January 18 2019, @05:47PM (2 children)
while the moon would finally give us a decent short-term reason to start investing seriously in that research.
Over the next few decades we'll have to do that anyway to survive the effects of climate change. No matter how much we screw up Earth though, it will be easier to live on Earth than the moon. About the only thing that would cause problems on Earth enough to make the Moon (or even Mars) easier is a very large asteroid or supervolcano, especially if combined with Kessler syndrome to limit access to space.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Immerman on Friday January 18 2019, @06:32PM
Oh, we probably have more than a few decades before we start seriously building eco-domes on Earth - though we'll probably start wishing we had them. If we wait to develop the technology until we need it on Earth, then we're faced with developing large-scale infrastructure from alpha-stage technology. Having an immediate and extreme small-scale need for such technology gives it a chance to develop and mature before we need to start deploying it on a large scale.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 18 2019, @06:33PM
Doomsday culters or flat earthers, who is wackier?