In a development that may have far-reaching consequences towards long-term space exploration, China’s National Space Administration has announced that its scientists have been able to successfully germinate cotton seeds to sprout green shoots on-board the Chang’e 4 Lunar Lander.
According to the agency, the sprouts emerged from cotton seeds that were carried on the Chang’e 4 lander, which touched down on the far side of the moon earlier this month. According to lead scientist, Xie Gengxin, “This is the first time humans have done biological growth experiments on the lunar surface”.
As pointed out by The Wire, leafy vegetables and flowering plants have been grown successfully in the International Space Station, but never on the moon.