Could astronauts grow plants on the Moon? One experiment is heading to the lunar surface to find out

[Judi Lynn]

Anita Chandran

Published: June 15, 2024 at 2:30 am
Is it possible to grow plants on the Moon?

One of the most iconic images of recent sci-fi cinema is in the 2015 movie The Martian, in which astronaut Mark Watney (played by Matt Damon), manages to grow potatoes while stranded on Mars.

Which begs the question as to how easy it would be for humans to grow crops and other plants on distant worlds, such as Mars or even the Moon.

Experiments are already well underway to grow crops on the International Space Station, given the benefits of astronauts on long-duration missions being able grow their own food.



The LEAF experiment will aim to see whether plants can be grown on the Moon. Credit: NASA

One experiment looking into the science behind whether it's possible to grow plants on the Moon is LEAF, the Lunar Effects on Agricultural Flora.

More:
https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/space-science/leaf-grow-plants-on-the-moon

[Arne]

1. Maybe start with Mushrooms.

They like weird places.

There is a game called Spore about space mushrooms.
There was also a time in Earths history where giant
mushrooms covered the land.

[SCantiGOP]

2. Plenty of sun

with no atmosphere to block it.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

3. Two weeks of sun, then two weeks of no sun.

I'm thinking the two weeks of no sun could matter a lot.