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Plants grow for the first time in lunar regolith

Scientists grew plants in the lunar regolith for the first time ever. They used samples from three different Apollo missions (11, 12, 17). The plants used were Arabidopsis thaliana (thale cress, mouse-ear cress). After 16 days it was clear that plants grew smaller in regolith from regions exposed to cosmic radiation for longer time.

MissionTimingStatus
missions icon Apollo 11 16. 7. 1969 - 24. 7. 1969 Ended: Success
missions icon Apollo 12 14. 11. 1969 - 24. 11. 1969 Ended: Success
missions icon Apollo 17 7. 12. 1972 - 19. 12. 1972 Ended: Success



This research shows that it might be possible to grow plants on the Moon without the need of transporting soil from Earth. Future colonists may just use the regolith from the Moon's surface or under it. NASA plans to send astronauts to the Moon's surface in 2025. 

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