NASA-funded scientists experiment with growing plants in lunar soil brought back from the Apollo 11 mission.
Fifty-six years ago, in 1969, the United States landed its first astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon. However, the two did more than just take their famous first steps, they also brought back many different moon samples. Altogether, they brought back 21.6kg of moon materials, including lunar soil or what scientists call lunar regolith.
These same soil samples from the moon are still used today in scientific studies. For example, in 2022, NASA-funded scientists at the University of Florida used the lunar soil to grow Thale Cress (Arabidopsis thaliana), a leafy green in the mustard family1.
Overview of their research:
| What did they do? | The scientists grew Thale Cress in Earth soil, lunar soil, and control soils. |
| Why did they do it? | They wanted to see if growing food in lunar soil was possible and how it compared to growing food in Earth soil. |
| Why is this important? |
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| What did they find? | The scientists found that Thale Cress can be grown in lunar soil! However, it didn’t grow as well as it did in the Earth soil or the control soils. Ongoing research aims to improve plant outcomes. |
How to grow your own Moon food:
Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin could only carry so much lunar soil back with them so there is a limited amount here on Earth. However, scientists have developed an identical lab-made soil that is used by NASA and other researchers to test equipment and conduct scientific studies.
During Edge on Science’s STEM camp Space Science Sampler, campers will grow a special type of radish in lab-made lunar soil, just like NASA scientists! Give your child the chance to grow plants fit for the Moon and spark a love for space science.
Registration open to rising 3rd-5th graders.
Register now for Space Science Sampler!
1Keeter, B. (2022, May 12). Scientists grow plants in lunar soil. NASA. https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/scientists-grow-plants-in-lunar-soil/
