That didn’t last long: China reveals cotton sprout planted by its lunar lander is already dead

Just one day after revealing its Chang’e-4 lander had successfully started growing plants on the moon in a first-ever milestone, China now says its lunar cotton seedling is as good as dead.

The state-run publication Xinhua News says the groundbreaking experiment has ended with the onset of a two-week-long lunar night following its short-lived stint inside a specially-designed biosphere habitat.

The plants will die and decompose inside the canister, where they will not pose any threats to the lunar environment, according to the China National Space Administration.

Chinese scientists involved in the mission have also revealed that the US is planning its own mission to the far side of the moon – and they’ve asked to borrow a Chinese craft to help get there.

 

Cotton seeds can be seen sprouting in a photo released by the China National Space Administration (CNSA). The mission took a variety of seeds to the moon as part of its biosphere experiment. But, Chinese media says the experiment is now over

According to South China Morning Post, NASA recently asked China to extend the lifespan of the Queqiao relay satellite so it could be used to plan a US lunar landing.

‘We asked the Americans why they wanted our relay satellite to operate longer,’ chief scientist Wu Weiren told state broadcaster CCTV.

‘They said, perhaps feeling a little embarrassed, that they wanted to make use of our relay satellite when they make their own mission to the far side of the moon.’

China’s Chang’e-4 mission started growing plants on the moon shortly after its historic arrival to the previously unexplored area.

Cotton seeds could be seen sprouting in a photo released by the China National Space Administration (CNSA).

But, the plants will not be able to survive the lunar night, when temperatures dip down to -170 degrees Celsius. 

The mission took a variety of seeds to the moon as part of its biosphere experiment and this marks the first time ever that biological material has been cultivated on the lunar surface.

Other biological matter on the Chang’e-4 mission includes cotton, oilseed rape, potato, Arabidopsis, yeast and fruit flies.

Though more plants were initially expected to sprout in the next 100 days, the program appears to have ended.

Developing the ability to grow plants in space is an important step towards successful long duration space flight to Mars and beyond.     

The picture emerged after being released has come from Chongqing University and was published on the university’s Weibo account.

The mission took a variety of seeds to the moon as part of its biosphere experiment and this marks the first time ever that biological material has been cultivated on the lunar surface. This handout  shows a cotton sprout growing in a lattice-structured container

The mission took a variety of seeds to the moon as part of its biosphere experiment and this marks the first time ever that biological material has been cultivated on the lunar surface. This handout shows a cotton sprout growing in a lattice-structured container

The 0.8L cylindrical tin was designed by experts from south-west China's Chongqing University. It is equipped with insulating layers and a mini air-conditioning system

The 0.8L cylindrical tin was designed by experts from south-west China’s Chongqing University. It is equipped with insulating layers and a mini air-conditioning system

It read: ‘After experimenting under the moon’s high vacuum, large temperature difference, strong radiation and harsh conditions, mankind has grown the first plant sprout, realising man’s first moon-based biological growth experiment’. 

Images sent back by the probe show the cotton sprout has grown well, but so far none of the other plants on-board have taken, the university said.  

Fruit flies – also known as Drosophila – are a model organism widely used throughout science to understand how animals react in different environments. 

Their short reproduction time is useful in allowing scientists to understand its genetic impact after several generations of reproduction. 

Arabidopsis, a simple plant related to the mustard family, is the plant equivalent of Drosophila and also widely used by scientists. 

The studies on these pioneering plants are being done in a specially designed biosphere on the Chang’e-4 lander and not on the mobile rover, Yutu-2. 

Scientists hope that the seeds will grow to blossom on the moon in 100 days and the silkworm eggs will hatch and grow into moths. The seeds and eggs are kept in a 'lunar mini biosphere'

Scientists hope that the seeds will grow to blossom on the moon in 100 days and the silkworm eggs will hatch and grow into moths. The seeds and eggs are kept in a ‘lunar mini biosphere’

WHAT IS THE LUNAR MINI BIOSPHERE ABOARD THE CHANG’E-4 PROBE?

As well as radiation monitoring and mineralogical experiments, China’s Chang’e-4 probe contains a ‘lunar mini biosphere’ to perform biological studies.

It holds potato seeds and silkworm eggs, as well as arabidopsis seeds – plants related to cabbage and mustard that are commonly used by biologists as a model for how plants behave in different environments. 

Researchers hope the seeds will grow to blossom on the Moon, with the process captured on camera and transmitted to Earth. 

The 6.6lb (three kg) cylindrical tin is made from a specially developed aluminium alloy.

It is seven inches (18 cm) tall, with a diameter of six inches (16 cm) and a net volume of 1.4 pints (0.8 litres).

As well as seeds, it contains water, a nutrient solution, air and equipment including a small camera and data transmission system.

It will use a tube to direct sunlight on the surface of the Moon into the tin to allow the plants to grow.

Researchers from 28 Chinese Universities are behind the project, led by southwest China’s Chongqing University. 

Astronauts have previously cultivated plants on the International Space Station. Rice and arabidopsis were also grown on China’s Tiangong-2 space lab.

Both of these experiments were conducted in low Earth orbit and under very different conditions.

Experts hope that the new experiment will help accumulate knowledge for building a lunar base and long-term residence on the Moon.

It has greater temperature regulation and insulation which protects its experiments from the extreme temperatures on the moon. 

A lack of atmosphere means the UV rays from the sun reach the surface of the moon unfiltered and unabated. 

Temperatures fluctuate between highs of 127°C (261°F) and frigid lows of -173°C (-279°F).  

The seeds and eggs are kept in a small cylindrical tin and are expected to grow inside the 0.8L container.

The ‘lunar mini biosphere’ is part of Beijing’s biological studies in space as it plans to build a lunar base and eventually put people on the moon by 2036.

Researchers hope the potato and Arabidopsis seeds will grow to blossom on the moon in 100 days, with the process captured on camera and transmitted to Earth, according to a previous reports. 

The 6.6lb (three kg) tin is made from a specially developed aluminium alloy. It is seven inches (18 cm) tall, with a diameter of six inches (16 cm) and a net volume of 1.4 pints (0.8 litres).

As well as seeds, it contains water, a nutrient solution, air and equipment including a small camera and data transmission system.

Researchers from 28 Chinese Universities are behind the project, led by southwest China’s Chongqing University.

Yutu-2 has a host of instruments and will be powered by solar panels.  Unlike the similar probe on-board the Chang'e-3 mission this rover has no robotic arm. It announced afterwards it will be taking a 'nap' to protect against the sun's immense heat on the moon 

Yutu-2 has a host of instruments and will be powered by solar panels.  Unlike the similar probe on-board the Chang’e-3 mission this rover has no robotic arm. It announced afterwards it will be taking a ‘nap’ to protect against the sun’s immense heat on the moon 

A TIMELINE OF HOW CHINA REACHED THE FAR SIDE OF THE MOON

Chang'e-4 launched from the Xichang satellite launch centre in Sichuan, south-west China at 6:30 GMT on December 7 

Chang’e-4 launched from the Xichang satellite launch centre in Sichuan, south-west China at 6:30 GMT on December 7 

October 24 2007 – China launches Chang’e-1, an unmanned satellite, into space where it remains operational for more than a year. 

October 1 2010 – China launches Chang’e-2. This was part of the first phase of the Chinese moon programme. It was in a 100-km-high lunar orbit to gather data for the upcoming Chang’e-3 mission. 

September 29, 2011 – China launched Tiangong 1. 

September 15 2013 – A second space lab, Tiangong 2, is launched. 

December 1 2013 – Chang’e-3 launched.  

December 14 2013 – Chang’e-3, a 2,600 lb (1,200 kg) lunar probe landed on the near side of the moon successfully. It became the first object to soft-land on the Moon since Luna 24 in 1976. 

April 1 2018 – Tiangong-1 crashed into Earth at 17,000 mph and lands in the ocean off the coast if Tahiti. 

May 20 2018 – China launched a relay satellite named Queqiao which is stationed in operational orbit about 40,000 miles beyond the moon. This is designed to enable Chang’e-4 to communicate wit engineers back on Earth. 

The Chang'e-4 lunar rover is lifted into space from the Xichang launch centre in Xichang in China's southwestern Sichuan province on December 7

The Chang’e-4 lunar rover is lifted into space from the Xichang launch centre in Xichang in China’s southwestern Sichuan province on December 7

December 7 2018 – Chinese space agency announces it has launched the Chang’e-4 probe into space. 

December 12 2018 –  Retrorockets on the probe fired to stabilise the spacecraft and slow it down. 

December 31 2018 –   The probe prepared for the first-ever soft landing on the far side of the moon. 

Estimated for 2020 – Tiangong 3,a follow-up mission to the Tiangong-2 

Before 2033 – China plans for its first uncrewed Mars exploration program.

2040 – 2060 – The Asian superpower is planning a crewed mission to Mars. 

Astronauts have previously cultivated plants on the International Space Station. Rice and Arabidopsis were also grown on China’s Tiangong-2 space lab.

Professor Christopher Conselice, a professor of astrophysics at the University of Nottingha, told MailOnline: ‘China is doing experiments with seeds and worms to see how things form in space and there is relatively little information on this.

‘That’s a new ares of space exploration which we can learn about which was impossible before Chang’e-4.’

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk