Australian scientists are aiming to grow plants on the moon by 2025 in a new mission unveiled on Friday that they say could help pave the way for a future colony. Plant biologist Brett Williams of the Queensland University of Technology said the seeds would be carried by the Beresheet 2 spacecraft – Israel’s private mission to the moon. After landing, they would be watered in a sealed chamber and monitored for signs of germination and growth.
Plants will be selected based on how well they can handle extreme conditions and how quickly they germinate, he said. One likely possibility is the Australian “resurrection grass”, which can survive without water in a dormant state. “The project is the first step towards growing plants to produce food, medicine and oxygen, which are key to establishing human life on the Moon,” the scientists said in a statement.
Caitlin Byrt, an associate professor at the Australian National University in Canberra, said the research was also relevant to food security concerns caused by climate change. “If you can create a system to grow plants on the moon, you can create a system to grow food in some of the harshest environments on Earth,” Byrt said in a statement. The project is run by the Lunaria One organization, which involves scientists from Australia and Israel.
