According to China Daily, the Chinese astronauts successfully grew rice plants aboard the Tiangong space station. According to the expert, this experiment may offer crucial information about how astronauts can create food to sustain extended space trips.
Rice Seedlings Grown in Space
On July 24, China launched the Wentian space laboratory into orbit with the intention of docking it with the Tianhe core module of the Chinese space station. There are eight experimental payloads on board. Included in this payload is the rice experiment.
According to Zheng Huiqiong, a researcher at the Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, since the rice experiment started on July 29, the seedlings of the tall shoot rice variety have grown to a height of about 30 centimeters, and the seedlings of the dwarf rice variety, known as Xiao Wei, have grown to about 5 centimeters.
The experiment included seedlings of Arabidopsis thaliana, a little flowering plant of the mustard family that is frequently used by scientists to examine mutations, and Zheng noted that the rice seedlings were developing quite well.
According to her, the astronauts will continue to observe the plants, and if the experiment is a success, they will gather the newly created seeds and return to Earth for additional research.
Remember that these rice plants are still only seedlings, and therefore they are still early in their life cycle. The flowering stage is the most crucial stage for plant reproductive development.
Future of Agriculture in Space Mission
Since the beginning of space travel, astronauts have relied heavily on rice as a food source. Freeze-dried chicken and rice were consumed during the Apollo 11 mission by US astronauts.
China has been launching rice and other agricultural seeds into orbit in an effort to aid in their genetic modification and boost their ability to produce when planted on Earth. The effort started in the 1980s. Producing rice in orbit poses a special challenge because of the harsh conditions of space and microgravity.
According to Huiqiong, they will continue to observe the plants, and if the experiment is a success, they will gather the newly created seeds and return to Earth for additional research.
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Previous Agriculture Space Mission of China
China reportedly grew the first plants in space in 2019, according to Wired. On January 3, the Chang'E-4 and its miniature garden landed on the moon. Take note that the craft won't cultivate seeds on the lunar surface. Instead, the craft is taking care of cotton seeds that were transported in the container and were buried in terrestrial soil. A few fruit fly eggs, yeast, and potato, Arabidopsis, and other seeds have also been added to the jar by Chongqing University researchers.
Cotton seeds were the first to grow, according to research leader Professor Liu Hanlong of Chongqing University, who also noted that rapeseed and potato seeds had also germinated. According to the report in the South China Morning Post, cotton could be used to make clothing, rapeseed could be used to make oil, and potatoes might serve as the primary food source for space travelers.
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