May 1 2009Sure, Why Not?: Growing Plants On The Moon
Paragon Space Development Corporation, a NASA subcontractor, has decided to take a stab at growing plants in a specially designed greenhouse on the moon. THE MOON! The attempt will take place in 2012, so we may or may not get to see if it works before the world ends.
In order to successfully grow a plant on the moon, Paragon has developed a very specialized greenhouse that can safely contain a plant and provide it with all elements it needs to survive. The greenhouse will need to protect the plant from the sun's intense rays while providing it with enough water, balanced soil, and carbon dioxide while removing its waste oxygen.
Paragon has chosen a species within Brassica (the mustard family), due to their quick growth and the abundance of knowledge about the plant. A typical Brassica needs 14 days of light in order to grow, flower and then set seed. A lunar day is 14 Earth days long, so if the landing is timed perfectly, it will allow just enough time for the plant to grow to maturity and possibly re-seed.
Nice, but you really think anyone cares about growing mustard on the moon? No, I'm convinced there's a much more diabolical motive behind this experiment. Namely, government space weed.
First Gardens on the Moon by 2012! [inhabitat]
Thanks to Chuck Nunchuck and toast king, who once got high on Mars and thought they saw an alien. It was a rock.
Reader Comments
1. Que - May 1, 2009 9:10 AM
Que veggie table.
2. meowmo - May 1, 2009 9:12 AM
i heart the moon
3. STOMPY - May 1, 2009 9:16 AM
Pretty soon, moon mustard will be a standard condiment at our sandwich shops!
4. 1st, 2nd, 3rd Police - May 1, 2009 9:23 AM
would that be organic?
http://jfect.mybrute.com
5. meowmo - May 1, 2009 9:32 AM
they've been growing plants in space for years. arabidopsis or something is a weed/plant thing that grows in zero gravity. as well as some other stuff. COOOOL
6. m0nkey - May 1, 2009 9:42 AM
yay breathe in space.
7. Mr. Man - May 1, 2009 9:48 AM
...government space weed would be a good trap to catch an alien, or predator, or just let them fight over it
8. STOMPY - May 1, 2009 10:12 AM
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3288/3039790980_c930c1bd72_o.jpg
Gettin high while on the Moon's low gravity, that would be something.... I guess moon mustard is the first logical step since you would need some munchies.
9. naas - May 1, 2009 10:21 AM
@5 I thought I'd heard of science trying to grow vegetation in space before, but I didn't know it was called 'arabidopsis'.
With that plants name starting with 'arab' one has to wonder if it's a muslim plant and if in that case, if it might try blowing up the moon
10. Mothafeezel - May 1, 2009 10:27 AM
lol moonslim
11. Quik - May 1, 2009 10:36 AM
"waste oxygen"?
We need that stuff. Can't we have it teleported back or something.
12. Daisy - May 1, 2009 10:36 AM
FAKE!!!!
This is a complete photoshop job. You can tell its a fake because the shadow's are all wrong.
This is exactly like that scene in the movie Never BAck Down where max ran out of cheese for his bacon cheese log, and built a rocket to go to the moon and set up cheese mines on the moon.
13. Pew³ - May 1, 2009 10:43 AM
"Thanks to Chuck Nunchuck and toast king, who once got high on Mars and thought they saw an alien. It was a rock."
♪ But it wasn't a rock ♪
♪ It was a rock lobster! ♪
♪ Rock Lobster. ♪
14. naas - May 1, 2009 10:47 AM
♪☺
15. DrNecropolis - May 1, 2009 10:47 AM
Weed on the Moon? Aren't Astronauts high enough as it is? See what I did there? That's comedy folks... Anybody? *crickets*
16. naas - May 1, 2009 10:50 AM
Hail the mooninnites, famed moonweed growers
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.tvsquad.com/media/2006/11/athf---moonajuana.jpg
17. Galtacticus - May 1, 2009 10:56 AM
In the near future we'll probably reach out from the moon to the stars.Therefore we need to colonize the moon.
18. Darth - May 1, 2009 10:58 AM
Fresh oxygen,vegetables and fruits are always welcome.
19. Chuck Nunchuck - May 1, 2009 11:03 AM
i can't wait for the first Christmas tree on the moon. i will pee on it.
20. $.02 and a pocket full of FAH-Q - May 1, 2009 11:44 AM
I wonder if those little butterfly grow kits would work on the moon?
21. Rich Waffle-U - May 1, 2009 12:22 PM
I like how it looks all kitsch and Star Trekky. Three years from now, triffids will roam the surface of the moon, devouring all fo the tasty cheeses. Their farts will stink and they will have terrible constipation. We will easily overthrow them.
22. Watch-303 - May 1, 2009 12:48 PM
cool! we can grow grass on the moon!
23. Who's name? - May 1, 2009 1:16 PM
FAKE! - Daisy's right!
Moon is made from cheese , right? How are you gonna have grow anything on cheese?
24. Douchie Mc Bagman - May 1, 2009 1:21 PM
@23 - it grows some nice molds in my fridge. I used to grow mold on my weiner cheeses, but your mom keeps that licked clean these days.
25. Who's name? - May 1, 2009 3:01 PM
@24 Ya, I know that, but to hell - Why with your fathers tongue? We will never know.
26. $.02 and a pocket full of FAH-Q - May 1, 2009 3:58 PM
25 - Comeback FAIL - now wipe it off your chin.
27. Mooner - May 4, 2009 9:38 PM
Um, not sure how they plan to keep the things from freezing, that glass doesn't look like it would do much to keep out the FREEZING COLD WAISTLAND. Just sayin'.
28. Red Icculus - June 9, 2009 5:05 PM
It probably involves hydroponics. Preventing the droplets of water from floating around in space is the hardest part.