Chinese probe Chang'e-4 plants cotton seed on the Moon

A Chinese probe Chang'e-4, that landed on the moon on January 03rd, performed a hitherto unheard of feat: planting a seed on the lunar surface. The cottonseed is the first to be planted and sprout in the Moon, the result of a mini-biosphere experiment carried out by Chinese scientists.

The Chinese probe Chang'e-4 transported the seeds of cotton, rapeseed (plant used in the production of biodiesel), potato and arabidopsis (a seed of the family of the Brassicaceae, which cabbages and mustards also belong to), as well as fruit fly eggs and some yeasts, to form a simple mini biosphere, according to a team led by scientists from Chongqing University in southwest China.

The teacher Xie Gengxin, from Chongqing University and lead designer of the experiment, commented that the “mini biosphere” consists of a cylindrical box installed on the probe. Chang'e-4, made of special aluminum alloy materials, 198 mm high, 173 mm in diameter 173 and weighing 2,6 kg. It also contains water, soil, air, two small cameras and a heat control system, Xie said.

Images sent back by the spacecraft showed that a cotton bud had grown well, although no other plants were found growing.

Why were these species chosen?

Xie said potatoes could be an important food source for future space travelers. The growth period of Arabidopsis, a small plant related to cabbage and mustard, is short and easy to observe. Yeast could play a role in regulating carbon dioxide and oxygen in the mini biosphere, and the fruit fly would be a consumer of the photosynthesis process.

The researchers used a technique to render the seeds and eggs inactive during the two months that the spacecraft passed final checks at the launch center and traveled for more than 20 days through space.

After the Chinese probe Chang'e-4 landed on the far side of the moon on January 3, the soil control center instructed the spacecraft to water the plants to start the growing process. A tube directs natural light on the moon's surface into the container to allow the plants to grow.

the sensor of Chang'e-4 entered a "sleep mode" on Sunday as the first lunar night after the probe landed. The temperature can drop to around minus 170 degrees Fahrenheit. “Life in the can would not survive the lunar night,” Xie said.

The experiment then ended. The organisms will gradually decompose in the fully enclosed pipe, and will not affect the lunar environment, said the China National Space Administration (CNSA).

Although astronauts grew plants on the International Space Station, and rice and Arabidopsis were grown in the Chinese space laboratory Tiangong-2, these experiments were carried out in low orbit, at an altitude of about 400 km. The environment on the Moon, 380.000 kilometers from Earth, is more complex.

“We haven't had this experience before. And we could not simulate the lunar environment, like microgravity and cosmic radiation, on Earth,” Xie said.

The researchers hope the experiment can help gain knowledge to build a lunar base and long-term residence on the Moon.

The public, especially young people, was encouraged to participate in mission Chang'e-4.

CNSA, the Ministry of Education, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Chinese Science and Technology Association and other organizations launched a competition among students across China in 2015, collecting ideas on the design of the payloads. the experiment “mini lunar biosphere” was selected from over 250 entries.

Chinese probe collects other achievements

Previously, chinese probe Chang'e 4 had already recorded another unprecedented feat, being the first in the world to land on the dark side of the moon (read more about this feat here).

Source: Xinhuanet.