Sprouted cotton germ on the moon did not last long and is already dead

Previous image of cottonseed before dying. CNSA / Chongqing University

Earlier in the week, the sprouting of a cotton seed on the moon left much of the merry scientific community, which could facilitate a possible interplanetary voyage. Our satellite could be a strategic stop for astronauts to produce food or raw materials for clothing.

During the night of Wednesday (16), the installation being part of the Chinese probe Chang & # 39; e 4 is simply dead. The reason is the same for which vegetables die here: it depended on the sun's light striking the moon's dark side, and when the lunar night came, in addition to darkening, the temperature fell a lot.

In all, the plant lasted. for about a day. The fact is that the probe Chang & # 39; e 4 went into hibernation mode during the lunar night. In this 14-day period, temperatures can go down to -170 ° C. In comparison, during the day, it can make "heat" of 127ºC. In fact, this great variation of temperature is one of the obstacles to the growth of the Moon because, unlike the Earth, it does not have an atmosphere that can "dampen" the extreme temperatures.

The container in which the cotton has sprouted. also contains potato and yeast seeds. However, after 14 days of sun deprivation, they should not survive this serious illness. The Chinese Space Agency said that after proving that it was no longer possible to cultivate these seeds, it would seal these materials in the container to avoid contaminating the lunar surface.

According to Professor Xie Gengxin of the University of Chogqing who contributed to the development. experience, plants last little was already planned. "Life in such conditions would not survive the lunar night," said the expert in a statement reprinted by Guardian .

This experiment was conducted for the purpose of testing photosynthesis and respiration of plants in the lunar environment. We know that there is already a long tradition of space plants grown in the International Space Station, but on the Moon, the cotton swab was the first, despite its short life span. During a future mission, the way will be to create a controlled container simulating the conditions of the Earth.

Rest in peace, lunar cotton button.

[Guardian, BBC e Gizmodo ES]