Scientists from China intend to learn how to grow potatoes on the moon as part of a mission to study the Earth’s satellite. The first tubers will be delivered to the moon next year.
According to today's publication in the Chongqing Morning Post, the hermetically sealed potatoes will be transferred to the automatic station Chang'e-4.
Chang'e-4 will make a soft landing on the far side of the Moon for the first time in history
According to Professor Xie Gengxin from Chongqing University, in addition to potatoes, silkworm larvae will be placed in the capsule. The purpose of this experiment is to find out whether insects and root crops can survive on the surface of the satellite, and therefore, whether a human colony can get used to another planet.
It is possible that Chinese scientists came up with this idea, inspired by the movie "The Martian" (or book), where the character of Matt Damon learned to grow potatoes on the surface of Mars in order to survive.
Source: https://life.ru