In a groundbreaking achievement, researchers at the Hungarian University of Agriculture have successfully cultivated mustard plants in a simulated lunar soil, marking a significant step toward sustainable farming on the moon.
The team, based in a laboratory north of Budapest, spent six weeks growing plants in two types of lunar soil simulants: one mimicking the moon's highland regions and the other representing the lunar mare, or sea. György Barkó, a senior researcher, explained, \"The lunar soil has no organic compounds to feed the plant, so we had to develop a technology to support plant growth sustainably.\"
Unlike other countries conducting similar experiments with extensive trial and error, Hungary's approach focuses on creating a sustainable growth method. Barkó highlighted, \"Other countries are planting 10,000 different seeds in 10,000 different soil samples. It's a kind of trial and error to see what's working, what's not. Maybe something is growing, but making it a sustainable way is a different story.\"
To achieve sustainability, the Hungarian team is experimenting with bioengineered bacteria and tailored nutrients to create a viable medium for crops. Their future goals include growing lettuce, beans, and small fruit-bearing plants, drawing parallels to humanity's ancient agricultural practices in the Fertile Crescent. \"This is like what humans did in Mesopotamia thousands of years ago. Now, we're doing it on the moon,\" Barkó remarked.
The project also addresses one of the moon's biggest challenges: water scarcity. Transporting water from Earth is costly, so the researchers are exploring methods to extract water from lunar materials or recycle it. Barkó added, \"We are investigating how to generate electricity. Electricity and energy are everything. If you have energy, you can use it to generate water from different kinds of minerals like copper sulfate. If you heat it, you can generate water.\"
While the mustard plants have grown successfully, the team is awaiting test results to determine if they are safe for consumption. If edible, this development could be a turning point for long-term lunar missions, aligning with global efforts to make the moon more habitable for humans.
As the Hungarian team continues to refine their methods, they bring us one step closer to the possibility of farming on the moon, supporting sustained human life beyond Earth.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
