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posted by martyb on Monday October 07 2019, @04:56PM   Printer-friendly
from the two-leafs-to-the-solar-wind dept.

China's Lander Successfully Grew Some Cotton Plants on the Moon. Fruit Flies and Potatoes Didn't Fare So Well"

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.


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  • (Score: 4, Funny) by ikanreed on Monday October 07 2019, @05:03PM (7 children)

    by ikanreed (3164) Subscriber Badge on Monday October 07 2019, @05:03PM (#903760) Journal

    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)

      by Freeman (732) on Monday October 07 2019, @05:12PM (#903767) Journal

      Cotton seed has a similar structure to other oilseeds such as sunflower seed, having an oil-bearing kernel surrounded by a hard outer hull; in processing, the oil is extracted from the kernel. Cottonseed oil is used for salad oil, mayonnaise, salad dressing, and similar products because of its flavor stability.[2]

      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: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 07 2019, @05:28PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 07 2019, @05:28PM (#903774)

      Should have tried Kudzu.

    • (Score: 2) by looorg on Monday October 07 2019, @06:07PM (1 child)

      by looorg (578) on Monday October 07 2019, @06:07PM (#903801)

      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: 2) by DeathMonkey on Tuesday October 08 2019, @05:37PM

      by DeathMonkey (1380) on Tuesday October 08 2019, @05:37PM (#904202) Journal

      We won't be naked when we starve to death on the moon.

      Can't have my emergency food supply freezing to death now can we?

  • (Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Monday October 07 2019, @05:19PM (10 children)

    by fustakrakich (6150) on Monday October 07 2019, @05:19PM (#903770) Journal

    Land the next one on the north or south pole where there is constant sunshine. Maybe put some kind of motorized shade to simulate a 24 hour day/night cycle

    --
    La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
    • (Score: 2) by DannyB on Monday October 07 2019, @05:33PM (6 children)

      by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Monday October 07 2019, @05:33PM (#903778) Journal

      Solar panel can be used for shade.

      If you land on one of the poles, maybe a higher priority is to discover a source of water.

      --
      People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
      • (Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Monday October 07 2019, @05:36PM (2 children)

        by fustakrakich (6150) on Monday October 07 2019, @05:36PM (#903784) Journal

        Doesn't water in a sealed biosphere remain kind of constant?

        --
        La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
        • (Score: 3, Insightful) by DannyB on Monday October 07 2019, @06:49PM

          by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Monday October 07 2019, @06:49PM (#903812) Journal

          How did the water get into that biosphere with seals? Was the water brought from Earth? Or was it harvested from the moon? (do the seals like that water?)

          How big a biosphere is needed to have a usable water cycle? (although water skis seem more likely to stay afloat.)

          --
          People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
        • (Score: 2) by Freeman on Tuesday October 08 2019, @02:28PM

          by Freeman (732) on Tuesday October 08 2019, @02:28PM (#904092) Journal

          You still need to account for some minor amounts of water loss. Also, those plants will be sucking up water and the water recycling process is bound to not be 100% effective. It would definitely be good to have a local source of water, when your only other resupply method at optimum speed is 3 to 4 days away.

          --
          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: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 07 2019, @06:06PM (2 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 07 2019, @06:06PM (#903800)

        The poles are where they have found water on the moon.

        • (Score: 2) by DannyB on Monday October 07 2019, @06:46PM (1 child)

          by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Monday October 07 2019, @06:46PM (#903810) Journal

          Has water been FOUND or is water simply believed to exist at the poles?

          --
          People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
          • (Score: 2) by DannyB on Monday October 07 2019, @06:52PM

            by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Monday October 07 2019, @06:52PM (#903814) Journal

            To expand . . . by FOUND, I mean do we have accurate enough cartography such that a lander could send a robot with a hose to the water/ice supply? I mean is there known, useful water? Or just some patches that have the right absorbtion spectrography?

            --
            People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
    • (Score: 1) by nitehawk214 on Monday October 07 2019, @05:35PM (2 children)

      by nitehawk214 (1304) on Monday October 07 2019, @05:35PM (#903781)

      Do plants need a day/night cycle?

      --
      "Don't you ever miss the days when you used to be nostalgic?" -Loiosh
      • (Score: 2, Interesting) by fustakrakich on Monday October 07 2019, @05:39PM

        by fustakrakich (6150) on Monday October 07 2019, @05:39PM (#903786) Journal

        Some seem to grow better (more powerful :-)) with a little rest. And it is needed to induce pollination.

        --
        La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
      • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 07 2019, @05:57PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 07 2019, @05:57PM (#903797)

        As always, it depends. Some plants don't care at all. Some rely on temperature, some rely on day/night, some rely on wavelength, rainfall, etc.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 07 2019, @07:12PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 07 2019, @07:12PM (#903821)

    Why didn't they try to grow bacon?

    • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 07 2019, @07:17PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 07 2019, @07:17PM (#903823)

      Because the moon is made of cheese and the pigs would eat it all.

  • (Score: 4, Touché) by EJ on Monday October 07 2019, @07:33PM (1 child)

    by EJ (2452) on Monday October 07 2019, @07:33PM (#903827)

    That was stupid of them. Why would they try to grow stuff on the dark side of the moon? What morons.

    They needed Matt Damon to science the shit out of it and tell them to plant on the LIGHT side of the moon!

    • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 07 2019, @08:56PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 07 2019, @08:56PM (#903843)

      Why would they try to grow stuff on the dark side of the moon?

      1. Grow pot on the dark side of the moon.
      2. Build a hotel.
      3. Put on Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon.
      4. Sync it to Wizard of Oz.
      5. Puff and pass.
      6. Profit.

      Reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtExVJlgEC0 [youtube.com]

  • (Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 07 2019, @07:37PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 07 2019, @07:37PM (#903829)

    Time to send the African-American astronauts.

  • (Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 07 2019, @10:10PM (2 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 07 2019, @10:10PM (#903868)

    WTF... is this some sort of food that's meant to trigger millennials? What's the next course, incest soup?

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 07 2019, @10:50PM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 07 2019, @10:50PM (#903881)

      canola oil is squeezed from rapeseed. with evil canuck magic.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 08 2019, @06:41PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 08 2019, @06:41PM (#904237)

        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tisdale,_Saskatchewan [wikipedia.org]

        It saddens me greatly that a couple years back this town changed their official slogan from the "land of rape and honey" to something lame.

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