The first biological experiment on lunar surface for Humankind: Device and results

文献类型： 外文期刊

第一作者： Xie, Gengxin

作者： Xie, Gengxin;Ding, Jinghang;Zhang, Yuanxun;Qiu, Dan;Wang, Xi;Zhang, Yuanxun;Ren, Maozhi;Qiu, Dan

作者机构：

关键词： Lunar experiments; Space planting; Environmental stress; Low gravity

期刊名称：ACTA ASTRONAUTICA （ 影响因子：3.5； 五年影响因子：3.3 ）

ISSN： 0094-5765

年卷期： 2024 年 214 卷

页码：

收录情况： SCI

摘要： The Bioregenerative Life Support System (BLSS) is an indispensable part of extraterrestrial bases as it can provide sufficient food, fresh air, recycle waste, and create a safe environment for humans. However, it is still uncertain how the natural environment of extraterrestrial bodies would affect the function of an artificial ecosystem like BLSS. The Chinese Chang'e 4 lunar lander carried a micro-ecosystem called Biological Experiment Payload (BEP), developed by Chongqing University, and conducted the first biological experiments for humans on the back of the Moon to assess the effects of low gravity, intense radiation, and light on the lunar surface to living things. The payload weighs 2.608 kg, with 198 mm in height and 173 mm in diameter, offering a total inside space of 0.82L, containing 0.42L of bio-activity space. Cotton seeds, Potato seeds, Arabidopsis seeds, Rape seeds, Fly eggs, Yeast, and 18 ml of water were placed in the BEP, which was kept at a constant atmospheric pressure. Through a light guide tube, sunlight from the lunar surface can enter the payload's interior, allowing plants to photosynthesize. One remarkable feature of BEP was the gap in radiation protection design.On January 3, 2019, BEP arrived on the back of the Moon and conducted an experiment lasting eight days, 22 h, and 45 min (Earth Day) during the first lunar day after landing. After 22 h of watering, the CCD camera captured cotton seed germination, compared to 53 h after watering in the ground synchronization experiment. The cotton seedling on the lunar surface showed a faster germination rate than the simultaneous experiments on the ground. Also, the morphology of the cotton on the Moon was changed, with its stem growing curved, developing a long part close to the substrate and a short upright portion while forming fat-flowing nodes close to the substrate. Finally, the leaves were also curled and did not unfold. The payload was dormant from 12 to 31 January 2019, with its interior remaining dark and temperatures reaching as low as-52 degrees C. After the lunar night, the leaves of the terrestrial synchronous experiment were completely blackened and in pieces, in contrast to the Seedling on the Moon, which was upright and green. This experiment demonstrated that plants could grow on the lunar surface even in intense radiation, low gravity (1/6 g), and prolonged intense light. It was also the first time that a biological experiment was carried out by humans on the Moon using sunlight from space to power photosynthesis.

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