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When China's Chang'e-4 spacecraft landed on the lunar far side on January 3rd 2019, it made history. It was the first spacecraft to visit that part of the Moon, and among its payload was a 2.6 kg (5.7 lb) mini-biosphere called the Lunar Micro Ecosystem (LME).
The sealed, cylindrical biosphere is only 18 cm (7.1 in) long and 16 cm (6.3 in) in diameter. The LME carried six lifeforms, kept in mostly Earth-like conditions except for micro-gravity and lunar radiation.
The LME carried:
- cotton seeds
- potato seeds
- rape seeds
- yeast
- fruit fly eggs
- Arabidopsis thaliana, a common, hardy weed
All of these were unsuccessful, except the cotton.
The LME was not heated and depended on direct sunlight to keep it warm enough for the organisms onboard to survive and grow.
In the 14 days before nightfall, and the inevitable -190C (-310F) Lunar nighttime temperatures ended the experiment the cotton was known to have sprouted, but it was thought
that there was only one leaf, but now data indicates there were two.
[...] a 3D reconstruction based on data analysis and image processing[...] clearly shows two leaves.
China is already planning a sample return mission in the mid 2020's Chang'e-5 (or its backup Chang'e-6) and the team responsible for the LME hopes to send more lifeforms on this one as well, including potentially more complex ones.
(Score: 4, Funny) by ikanreed on Monday October 07 2019, @05:03PM (7 children)
We won't be naked when we starve to death on the moon.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Freeman on Monday October 07 2019, @05:12PM (2 children)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cottonseed_oil [wikipedia.org]
Sure, you likely can't subsist on vegetable oil, but it's something. Also, quite likely to not be feasible due to a lack of proper growing facilities on the Moon. Cottonseed oil is a thing, because it's easy to grow, edible, and we have plenty of space to grow it. Then again, you'd want to make 100% use of anything you have on the Moon. It stands to reason you might also produce a little bit of cottonseed oil, if you're growing cotton for other things.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2) by ikanreed on Monday October 07 2019, @05:19PM
Yeah, and I'm sure you can get an adequate amount of fiber in your diet too.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Reziac on Tuesday October 08 2019, @04:15AM
Since natural cottonseed oil is toxic, you will need either a proper processing plant, or GMO cotton that has reduced levels of gossypol.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gossypol#Toxicity_and_potential_food_source [wikipedia.org]
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 07 2019, @05:28PM
Should have tried Kudzu.
(Score: 2) by looorg on Monday October 07 2019, @06:07PM (1 child)
Isn't that what Elon, and others -- I know also wrong planet/moon, want to use their space-serfs/slaves for? Indentured servants growing space-crops after the robots/AI steal all the human jobs on earth ...
(Score: 3, Informative) by takyon on Monday October 07 2019, @06:26PM
If you can grow crops on the International Space Station, you can grow them "on" the Moon.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Tuesday October 08 2019, @05:37PM
Can't have my emergency food supply freezing to death now can we?