When China’s Chang’e 4 spacecraft landed on the far side of the moon during the first week of January, it brought fruit fly eggs, rapeseed, cotton seeds and more along with it. The seeds were planted in an airtight canister that provided them with air, water, and nutrients, while also protecting them from the moon’s extreme temperature and radiation. According to the head of the experiment, Professor Liu Hanlong, on January 15th, the cotton seeds began to sprout into buds; this is the first time that anything has grown on the moon.  

Scientists were hopeful that this experiment would mean that astronauts would be able to harvest food in space. Fred Watson, an astronomer at the Australian Astronomical Observatory, said: “It suggests that there might not be insurmountable problems for astronauts in the future trying to grow their own crops on the moon in a controlled environment.” However, it was reported that the cotton sprouts died a day later due to a lack of sunlight from the lunar night.  

Since a lunar cycle consists of 14 days of sunlight and 14 days of darkness, the other seeds that were brought aboard along with the fruit fly eggs are not expected to survive for two weeks without sunlight and the extreme cold that comes along with it. In order to not contaminate the surface of the moon, the canister will remain sealed as the seeds decompose.