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Chinese spacecraft "Chang-ah-4"
China's mission on the moon could turn science fiction into reality if it successfully planted the first flower on the moon, an experience that the Chinese National Space Administration announced will soon be published.
When the Chinese spacecraft "Chang-e-4" landed on January 3rd on the other side of the moon, its cargo consisted of a sealed container called "small ecological circle on the moon".
The cylindrical aluminum container, 18 cm high and 16 cm in diameter, contained silkworm eggs, potato seeds and a kind of raspberry.
The container, weighing no more than 3 kg, costs about 10 million yuan ($ 1.5 million) and the internal camera alone costs 600,000 yuan.
If things go well, both plants will root and sprout in the container, producing the first lunar flower at the end of a 100-day test period, according to the Space agency.
Meanwhile, silkworm eggs will complete a complete life cycle, from hatching to ringworm.
According to the Chinese information network ichan Feng, this experience was not the first to grow plants in the space. On January 16, 2016, NASA shared images of a Zenia flower in a plant of the International Space Station. 300 km above the ground.
Planting will not be easy because the temperature of the moon can exceed 100 degrees Celsius during the day, drop to 100 degrees at night, as well as solar radiation and a low gravity.
Professor Shi Jingxin, a Chinese scientist responsible for the lunar station's experience, said that if the project succeeds, he would indicate that China has joined in space exploration and will pave the way for life in the space.
Shi also pointed out that the team had designed the container to maintain a temperature of between 1 and 30 degrees, which allowed access to natural light and to feed the plants with water. water and nutrient solutions.
He added that silkworms consume oxygen released by plants, release carbon dioxide and fertilize plants.
He also said that the team would conduct a similar field experiment for comparison purposes.
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