“Verum, hi!” Orak rushed into the dorm room coming back from school. “Where are the others? I have news about how scientists have successfully grown plants in moon soil,” shared an ecstatic Orak.
“Oh wow! Plants actually can grow in moon soil,” exclaimed Verum.
“That’s what the researchers said too when they saw the seeds sprout,” chucked Orak.
“This is a big step in finding out you can grow plants in space. Scorch has fireball practice and Felix is in a ‘Save the Earth’ meeting with his friends. But I’d like to know more about this now,” replied Verum. She closed her textbook and was all ears.
“The University of Florida researchers approached United States’ space agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) requesting them to lend some of the moon soil. In the past, NASA had launched Apollo space missions and the astronauts who were on these missions visited the moon. They got 382kg of moon rocks and soil to planet Earth.
Researchers wanted to see if they can grow food on the moon. After many requests over the years, NASA finally gave just 12 grams of soil to the University researchers last year…” Orak abruptly paused on Verum’s interruption, “And they could use it?”
“Yes! The researchers began planting last May in a lab. They sowed the seeds of thale cress. And a year later, the results are for all to see. Such an overwhelming success. Small experiment, but gives hope to space experts,” smiled Orak.
“Yes. It is a promising result even for businessmen like Elon Musk who are envisioning setting up human settlements on Mars! But Orak, did the experiment flow smoothly? Are you saying there were no issues at all?” said Verum.
“There were some concerning issues. After the first week, the lunar soil’s properties and its contents put a lot of pressure on the flowering seeds. This forced the seeds to grow very slowly. To add to this, they did not grow to the fullest,” added Orak.
“I trust our scientists. I am sure they will find a way. Felix will be happy to know about this!” Verum threw her arm around Orak and they both walked out of the dorm room to play with their friends.