China's Chang’e 4 probe achieved the first plant growth on the Moon, with a cotton seed sprouting in 2019 before the lunar night ended the experiment.
Lunar plant experiment begins
In 2019, the Chinese lunar probe Chang’e 4 deployed a small container into the Von Kármán crater on the far side of the Moon, carrying seeds of cotton, rapeseed, and potato, along with arabidopsis seeds, fruit fly eggs, and yeast. The experiment aimed to test whether Earth-based life could survive in the lunar environment.Only one plant survives
Inside the container, which included soil, water, air, and a thermal regulation system, only a cotton seed germinated, becoming the first plant to grow on another celestial body. The other organisms did not germinate or hatch, and the experiment concluded after 212.75 hours when the lunar night caused the internal temperature to drop to minus 52 degrees Celsius.Lunar night ends the experiment
As the lunar night set in, the Chang’e 4 probe switched to standby mode to protect its instruments from the extreme cold, with external temperatures dropping to about minus 170 degrees Celsius. The internal temperature of the canister eventually reached minus 52 degrees Celsius, making survival for the organisms inside impossible.Scientists anticipate no contamination risk
Professor Xie Gengxin, who designed the container, had warned that the life inside would not survive the lunar night. Chinese scientists confirmed that the dead organisms would decompose within the sealed container, posing no risk of contamination to the lunar surface.Cotton sprout gains global attention
The successful germination of the cotton seed, announced by researchers from Chongqing University through the official news agency Xinhua, caused a sensation in the international scientific community. The sprout became a symbol of the experiment's modest success.Lunar experiment is secondary to mission goals
The biological experiment was not the primary goal of the Chang’e 4 mission, which focused on exploring the far side of the Moon, previously unobserved from Earth. However, the sprout has sparked discussions about the potential for future human missions to cultivate plants in harsh extraterrestrial environments.
