Scientists have grown plants in soil from the moon for the first time.
The researchers had no idea if the harsh moon dirt could be used to grow food, and they wanted to see if it could be used by a new generation of lunar explorers. They were shocked by the results.
Holy cow. Plants grow in the moon. Robert Ferl of the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences was incredulous.
A scientist has been awarded the World Food prize.
The seeds of thale cress sprouted after Ferl and his colleagues planted it in the moon soil.
The weeds were stressed so much by the lunar soil's coarseness that they grew more slowly than the fake moon dirt.
The plants on the moon were not growing well. The results were published on Thursday.
Plants seemed to do worse when the soil was exposed to punishing radiation and solar wind.
The Apollo 11 samples exposed a couple of billion years longer to the elements because of the older surface of the moon.
Simon Gilroy, a space plant Biologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who had no role in the study, said that it was a big step forward to know that you can grow plants.
The Apollo lunar landers wore down the moonwalkers with glass fragments from micrometeorite impacts.
Younger geologic spots on the moon could be used to dig up planting soil. The environment could be changed, or it could be adjusted.
Most of the moon rocks and soil was locked away.
The long-awaited planting took place in a lab last May after the University of Florida received 12 grams from Nasa.
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