NASA to grow plants on the MOON: Astronauts will plant cress, duckweed and brassica on the lunar surface on the Artemis III mission in 2026
You may have trouble keeping a potted plant alive in your living room, but the next people to set foot on the moon will have a much bigger gardening challenge.
NASA will grow plants such as duckweed, cress and brassica in a mini moon greenhouse when the Artemis III mission returns humans to the moon.
Lunar Effects on Agricultural Flora, or LEAF, is one of three experiments chosen to go to the moon in 2026.
This will be the first time the US space agency has attempted to grow plants on the moon – and could be key to fueling future space missions.
NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy said, “These three deployed instruments were chosen to initiate scientific research that will address key science objectives of the Moon and Mars.”
NASA has announced plans to grow plants on the moon as part of the Artemis III mission that will return humans to the moon’s surface, as illustrated in this NASA artist’s concept
The LEAF experiment was designed by Colorado-based Space Lab Technologies to test how different plants adapt to space conditions.
Astronauts will deploy a series of ‘growth chambers’, each containing a sample of thale cress, duckweed or red and green Brassica rapa – also known as oilseed rape or Wisconsin fastweed.
These capsules protect the plants from excessive radiation, sunlight and the vacuum of space, while allowing astronauts to monitor their growth.
It is hoped that the three selected plants can each play an important role in establishing human colonies beyond the borders of Earth.
Vice President of Space Lab Technologies Christine Escobar says: ‘This research will be a crucial step in understanding how we can use agriculture in space to support human crews, paving the way for sustainable lunar exploration and even missions to Mars.’
Thale cress was chosen because the entire genetic code has been fully mapped.
This means scientists can determine whether radiation exposure has caused mutations in DNA – a major concern that goes beyond protecting the Earth’s magnetic field.
NASA selected thale cress to use for space experiments because it has been fully genetically mapped. This means scientists can easily tell if it has been mutated by space radiation
Duckweed, meanwhile, has no roots or stems.
And combined with its spherical shape, it is hoped that the world’s smallest flowering plant will be particularly resilient to space conditions.
The extremely hardy and fast-growing duckweed often spreads across entire ponds and lakes on Earth.
In space, however, duckweed is not a nuisance, but rather a protein-rich crop and a potential source of enormous amounts of oxygen.
Alongside Brassica rapa – a fast-growing relative of cabbage and broccoli – these could provide both the nutrition and life support systems for a future space colony.
Ms. Escobar adds that Space Lab Technologies plans to “create the resources people need to live and work sustainably in space, so they can explore further and stay longer.”
Duckweed (photo) has no stems or roots. It is hoped that this will make it uniquely resistant to low-gravity space conditions
This isn’t the first time plants have been grown in space, but it is NASA’s first attempt to grow plants on the moon’s surface.
Over the years, numerous experiments aboard the International Space Station have grown everything from radishes to sunflowers in microgravity.
In 2022, a NASA-funded study managed to grow plants in samples of lunar surface material known as regolith.
Although the plants were not as sturdy as those growing in the Earth’s soil, they were able to germinate and survive in the mix of rocks, minerals and glass that make up lunar regolith.
And in 2019, the Chinese space agency even managed to germinate a cotton sprout on the dark side of the moon aboard the Chang’e 4 mission.
However, the plant was killed before more observations could be made when the capsule suffered a thermal control failure.
NASA successfully grew a relative of garden cress in lunar surface material, or regolith, although the plants (pictured) were not as hardy as those grown in Earth’s soil
The other two missions that will accompany LEAF are the Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS) and the Lunar Dielectric Analyzer (LDA).
The LEMS is a set of autonomous seismometers that closely monitor whether moonquakes occur in order to gain a better insight into the structure of the moon.
The LDA will measure the regolith’s ability to propagate an electric field, which is a key property in the search for ice and other volatiles.
If all goes according to plan, these three experiments will land on the moon’s surface along with four astronauts at a yet unconfirmed location somewhere around the moon’s south pole.
It is believed that this area could hold water in ice deposits, which would be vital for establishing a long-term presence on the lunar satellite.
Brassica rapa (pictured), also called oilseed rape, is an extremely fast-growing relative of cabbage and could prove whether food crops can be grown on the moon
Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for exploration at NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, said, “These three science instruments will be our first opportunity since Apollo to leverage the unique capabilities of human explorers to conduct transformative lunar science.”
However, NASA claims there is no guarantee that any of the experiments will fly aboard Artemis III, as “manifest decisions” will be made at a later date.
The human crew, which will be the first to return to the moon since 1972, has also yet to be announced.
NASA has suggested that at least one member of the crew will be a woman and another will be a person of color.
In addition, NASA has made some suggestions that a British astronaut could set foot on the moon before 2030 as part of a US mission.
Ms Melroy added: ‘Artemis marks a bold new era of exploration, where human presence amplifies scientific discoveries.
“With these innovative instruments on the lunar surface, we are embarking on a transformative journey.”