With every passing day, the prospects of space travel for all of mankind and the inhabitation of other planets aside from earth continue to become less bleak. Technological advancements have allowed scientists to embark on projects that would have been otherwise deemed impossible in the past. From animals in space to food in space, mankind has continued to push against all boundaries and reach for the stars, and whatever may lie beyond them. And recently, they have scored yet another major success and discovery, which brings us closer to the "life in space" possibility, more or less a fairytale turned to reality.
The latest update is that salad leaves could one day be grown on another planet. As crazy as that might sound, scientists speculate that salad leaves could one day be grown on the planet Mars, and this comes after a million seeds were sent into space back in 2015. It is therefore evident that this experiment is one that has spanned over four years of work, and it appears their hard work has finally paid off. The 2015 mission was supported by British Astronaut Tim Peake as part of his Principia mission, and they came back to earth about 6 months later. Subsequently, six hundred thousand children took part in an experiment to grow the progeny, an experiment organized by the Royal Horticulture Society and spanning over 8000 schools across Britain.
The research was part of a project called Rocket Science, led by the RHS Campaign for School Gardening in partnership with the UK Space Agency. And then, the results of the study were published in Life magazine. Results showed that although their germination was slower than normal, and they were more sensitive to aging than their counterparts on earth, they were still viable. Apparently, space flight, the difference in gravity, and the many other factors which differ from those on earth did not affect the seeds' viability. Peake commented on the results, saying that when humans embarked on space travel to Mars, they find means of feeding. In the same vein, the research would serve to help understand the biology of seed germination and storage, the knowledge that will be vital for future space missions.
However, there were some discoveries made that could pose potential health hazards. The study authors identified the fact that the seeds had been exposed to cosmic radiation and mechanical vibrations while in space. They cited the need for the seeds to be protected from these forces which are so hazardous, they could make the seeds carcinogens. A report by the Daily Mail news agency shows that the factors that could affect the seeds in space include microgravity, a poor oxygen supply, low humidity, and extreme temperature fluctuations. James Hatton, head of Biology and Environmental Monitoring the European Space Agency has confirmed radiation as the most likely reason for the less efficient growth.
Despite the hazards, it is a breakthrough that promises further success. All eyes are on the spearheads of the project to see if safer measures can be put in place to eliminate the potential health hazard posed by the progeny.
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Space travel has never really been one of my big dreams or interests. Oh yeah, sure I'll be elated to go to space someday, but living on Mars and all that stuff weren't really my big dreams from when I was a kid. I guess it was someone else's big dream to be an astronaut and mine to be a Doctor.
Tio each his own, they say.
Either way, I hope this was an interesting read for you. Like and Comment!
