Astronauts returning to the lunar surface, expected in 2026, as part of the Artemis mission in North America, will take plants and an instrument to study the effects of radiation and partial lunar gravity on their growth.
The tool was one of three selected by North American Space Agency (NASA) For the Artemis 3 mission, scheduled for September 2026, the United States intends to return to the surface of the Moon, with the first woman and the first black person, after the last landing of astronauts, all men, in 1972.
The chosen area for Artemis III to land on the moon's surface will be the South Pole, where there will be frozen water.
Once installed in this area, the scientific instruments will collect data about the lunar environment and interior and how it will be possible to support a long-term human presence on the moon, allowing NASA to prepare to send astronauts to Mars.
One of the devices, according to a NASA statement, will be the first of its kind to monitor plants' photosynthesis, growth, and responses to stress caused by lunar radiation and gravity.
According to NASA, data on plant growth and development, along with environmental parameters measured by the instrument, will help scientists understand the use of plants grown on the Moon to nourish humans and support life on its surface and on Mars.
A suite of seismometers will also be on board Artemis III to monitor the seismic environment at the Moon's south pole and characterize its geological structure, particularly the crust and mantle.
A third instrument will measure the ability of regolith (rocky debris) to propagate an electric field, a key parameter in the search for lunar volatiles, especially ice.
The astronauts are scheduled to return to lunar orbit in September 2025, as part of the Artemis 2 mission.
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