Potatoes grown on the moon. "Moon face micro-ecological circle" chief designer Xie update to answer questions.

The film "Mars Rescue" depicts the hero trying to grow potatoes on Mars.
, this vision is expected to be the first to be accomplished by China.
2018, the Cop payload "moon microsphere" will be a special passenger aboard the Chang'e-4 landing on the moon's surface, which will be filled with potato seeds, amoeba seeds, and silkworm eggs.
plants will take root over a 100-day experimental period, ingressing the first flower on the moon's surface.
silkworms will also complete the full life cycle of egg hatching, larvae growth and the break-up of butterflies.
Beijing Youth Daily reporter learned that the "moon micro-ecological circle" chief designer Professor Xie Xuan introduced that by the end of 2018 the science payload will be "on board" the moon, to achieve the first human biological experiments on the lunar surface.
the bio-experiment will be broadcast live to the world via a small camera.
June 18, Xie, chief designer of the "Moon MicroSphere", gave an interview to the Beijing Youth Daily, detailing the idea and process of this biological experiment, such as growing potatoes on the moon.
Xie said that although the experiment needs to overcome many difficulties, but far-reaching, it will become the first human experiment on the surface of the moon, the future survival of mankind on extraterrelational planets is of great significance.
the first human experiment on lunar surface biology, Beiqing Daily: Why did you have such an experimental idea in the first time? Xie: In fact, growing organisms on other planets is an area that many countries are studying.
previous exploration of China has already landed on the moon, and this experiment is another innovation in the exploration process.
: Who is carrying out this experiment? Xie update: This project is led by Chongqing University, science and technology load, has been more than two years of experiments, in addition to Chongqing University, Hunan University, Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, China Aerospace Science and Technology Group and other universities and enterprises are also involved, involving machinery, control, environment, biology, optics, energy and other multidisciplinary cross-cutting research and development team.
team has more than two dozen core staff.
Beiqing Daily: What is the "moon micro-ecosystem"? Xie update: This is a cylindrical device, 18 cm high, 16 cm in diameter, made of aluminum alloy, the surface is affixed with the Chinese national flag and Chongqing University and Research Center logo.
the entire science load moon surface micro-ecological circle weight of 3 kg, but its cost of more than 10 million yuan, the camera alone reached 600,000 yuan.
: Compared with other countries, what is the international position of this exploration? Xie: Our country's exploration is the first human surface biological experiment, compared with the United States, Russia and other countries, are leading.
exploration will also prove that, among the many countries in the world, our country's space exploration is moving from a previous follow-up to a leading, leading stage.
unlike the first flower in outer space from NASA's space station last year, our experiment was located 380,000 kilometers from Earth, far from the International Space Station, which is more than 300 kilometers above Earth.
moon temperature difference large radiation strong planting faces many challenges! Beiqing News: What are the difficulties that need to be overcome this time? Xie update: On the moon is 14 consecutive days of day and then converted to 14 consecutive days of night, high temperature can reach more than 100 degrees Celsius, low temperature dropped to minus 100 degrees Celsius.
, the ultraviolet rays on the moon are not filtered, and the survival of plants and animals is subject to harsh environments such as high radiation and micro-gravity.
is too far from the living environment on Earth.
these are the difficulties to overcome.
: So what do potatoes, anathropoid mustard and silkworms live on? Xie update: Our "moon microsphere" is actually simulating the living environment of plants and animals on Earth.
device will be equipped with water and well-equipped nutrients, through a certain technology to keep the temperature in the tank between 1 degrees C to 30 degrees C, control the humidity, nutrients inside.
In addition, the photocoording of plants and animals is carried out by absorbing the natural light of the moon, the whole device has no light inside, is through the "can" light catheter to absorb the natural light on the moon's surface for photocooperation, the release of oxygen for the absorption of silkworm eggs, and then silkworm eggs excrete carbon dioxide and household waste to provide plant seeds.
: Animals and plants carrying "Yuan" to the moon how to overcome the problem of overweight? Xie: One of the challenges of the experiment is how to fix the seeds and cocoons in a "can" so that they are not scattered during launch due to stress such as being overweight.
we have repeatedly calculated the design and weight of containers, for example, because the soil is too heavy, inefficient use of nutrients selected, seeds and silkworm babies also through the technology to achieve the fixation of overweight situations.
is expected to become a food for human space survival: Why choose potatoes, aoan mustard, silkworms three kinds of plants and animals? Xie update: First of all from the biological conditions, the selection of plants and organisms to be relatively resistant to high and low temperatures, growth cycle can not be very long.
experiments, all three plants and animals are more qualified.
addition, the choice of potatoes is also to support the next step of human space survival, many countries and research institutions in the world now regard the potato as the main food for human survival in space.
Secondly, the choice of plants and animals will also choose close to the lives of ordinary people, in line with Chinese cultural traditions, potatoes are the most common food, silkworm babies are more lovely, growth cycle also has broken into butterflies this step, there is a better moral, symbolizing China's progress in space exploration and innovation.
: Are late-bred potatoes expected to become human food? Xie update: This is a possibility.
we will conduct experiments on Earth over the same period and under the same conditions, comparing and analyzing the data.
experiments, it is possible that the quality and yield of potatoes grown on the moon are relatively high, but this requires further research.
: Is it possible for humans to survive on the moon later? Xie update: If plant seeds can germinate, grow and flower in this environment, silkworm eggs can hatch normally, larvae grow and develop, break into butterflies, to a certain extent, it is not a dream for humans to live on the moon.
if the experiment is successful, it will provide technical support and lay the foundation for the survival of extratertertertertertertertertermation.
the moon's microsphere is infinitely large, and in theory humans can also live on the moon.
/ This reporter Zhang Xiangmei intern reporter Zhang Cong Source: Beijing Youth Daily.