China plans to send mini-ecosystems to the
Moon…
In a
first, China is planning to send mini-ecosystems — containing potato seeds and
silkworm eggs — to the Moon next year, in an attempt to study how the organisms
develop on the lunar surface.
The 3-kilogramme mini-ecosystem, developed by research
teams led by Chongqing University in China, will be sent to the Moon by the
Chang’e 4 scheduled to be launched in 2018, authorities announced at the Global
Space Exploration Conference.
An 18-centimetre-tall cylinder will carry potato seeds
and silkworm eggs to be incubated.
The silkworms will hatch and create carbon dioxide,
while the potato plants will generate oxygen, Zhang Yuanxun, who designed the
ecosystem, was quoted as saying by Global Times.
