China’s Plant On The Moon

Chang’e-4, a Chinese-made spacecraft, successfully landed on the far side of the moon in January. Aside from bringing samples back to our planet, it was also the first to experiment with growing plants on the moon. The spacecraft brought a small, cylindrical biosphere called the Lunar Micro Ecosystem (LME). The LME contained different seeds, such as potato, cotton, rapeseeds, and Arabidopsis thaliana, a common weed. 

Unfortunately, only the cotton plant grew two leaves before dying due to the cold temperatures after about two weeks. The rest died quickly. Learn more about the lunar experiment here. 

Image credit: KWON JUNHO