Exciting news has recently come out of China, that they are
aiming to be the first country to land a probe on the dark side of the Moon,
later this year. According to The Xinhua new agency they are planning to land
the Chang’e-4 probe, in an attempt to grow flowers on the Moon’s surface. The
“mini-biosphere project”, which is being led by scientists at Chongqing
University, is hoped to provide vital information which could one day lead to
the colonization of the Moon. Liu Hanlong, chief director of the experiment,
and vice president at the University was quoted as saying: “Our experiment
might help accumulate knowledge for building a lunar base and long-term
residence on the Moon.”
The probe will carry seeds of potato as well as Arabidopsis,
which is a small flowering plant of the mustard family. They will be carried in
cylindrical tins, made from a special aluminium alloy, containing water,
nutrients, and potentially silkworm eggs.
“We have to keep the temperature in the ‘mini biosphere’
within a range from 1 degree to 30 degrees, and properly control the humidity
and nutrition. We will use a tube to direct the natural light on the surface of
Moon into the tin to make the plants grow,” said Xie Gengxin, chief designer of
the experiment.
The intended landing site is the Von Karman Crater, situated
in the Aitken basin, chosen for it’s potential for scientific research. The far
side of the Moon is known for its special environment and complex geological
history, but landing and roving will pose its problems.
It is hoped that the experiment will be filmed and
transmitted back to us to watch its progress.
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