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The exciting news from NASA this week is that the space agency has selected the first science instruments designed for astronauts to deploy on the surface of the Moon during Artemis III (currently planned for 2026) - and one of them is an astrobotany experiment!
Lunar Effects on Agricultural Flora (LEAF) will "investigate the lunar surface environment's effects on space crops. LEAF will be the first experiment to observe plant photosynthesis, growth, and systemic stress responses in space-radiation and partial gravity. Plant growth and development data, along with environmental parameters measured by LEAF, will help scientists understand the use of plants grown on the Moon for both human nutrition and life support on the Moon and beyond. LEAF is led by Christine Escobar of Space Lab Technologies, LLC, in Boulder, Colorado."
[Christine mentioned this project in Gardeners of the Galaxy episode 11.]
According to the Space Lab Technologies website, the team behind the LEAF β - Lunar Effects on Agricultural Flora Beta (LEAF β) payload also includes Space Lab CEO Adam Escobar, Space Lab Mechanical Engineer Madison Jones, and space biologists from NASA Kennedy Space Center (Dr Aubrie O'Rourke, Dr Gioia Massa and Dr Raymond Wheeler), University of Colorado at Boulder (Dr Barbara Demmig-Adams), Purdue University (Dr Marshall Porterfield), USDA (Dr Gayle Volk), La Trobe University (Dr Mathew Lewsey), and University of Adelaide (Dr Jenny Mortimer).
"The LEAF β ('LEAF Beta') payload will protect plants within from excessive Lunar sunlight, radiation, and the vacuum of space, while observing their photosynthesis, growth, and responses to stress. The experiment includes a plant growth chamber with an isolated atmosphere, housing red and green varieties of Brassica rapa (Wisconsin Fast Plants®), Wolffia (duckweed), and Arabidopsis thaliana. By bringing seedling samples back to Earth, as part of Artemis III, the research team will apply advanced system biology tools to study physiological responses at a molecular level."
Although China put the "first shoots on the Moon" in 2019, the ecosystem experiment on the Chang'e-4 mission was shortlived, as it failed to maintain a habitable temperature.
LEAF β could therefore provide the first, comprehensive assessment of organism-wide effects of the Lunar environment, reducing risks for sustainable off-planet crop production and bioregenerative life support.
"This research will be a pivotal step toward understanding how we might use agriculture in space to support human crew, paving the way for sustained Lunar exploration and even missions to Mars," Christine Escobar said. "We create tools and resources that people need to live and work in space sustainably, so that they can explore further and stay longer. We consider ourselves space habitat outfitters, developing sustainable solutions for humanity's greatest journey."
So LEAF β is definitely something to look forward to. But today, I thought I would look back to another greenhouse designed for the Moon.
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