Astronauts returning to the Moon will take plants and study how they grow under radiation.

Astronauts who return to the lunar surface, expected in 2026, as part of the North American Artemis mission, will take with them plants and an instrument that will study the effects of radiation and partial lunar gravity on their growth.

The instrument was one of three chosen by the North American Space Agency (NASA) for the Artemis III mission, planned for September 2026, which will take the United States back to the lunar surface with the first woman and the first black person. people since the last cosmonaut landing, all men, in 1972.

The area chosen for Artemis III’s landing will be the south pole, where there will be icy water.

Once installed in the region, the scientific instruments will collect data about the lunar environment and subsurface, and how a long-term human presence on the Moon can be maintained, allowing NASA to prepare to send astronauts to Mars.

One of the instruments, according to NASA, will be the first of its kind to observe photosynthesis, growth and plant responses to stress caused by lunar radiation and gravity.

According to NASA, data on plant growth and development, as well as environmental parameters measured by the instrument, will help scientists understand the use of plants grown on the Moon to feed humans and support life on its surface and on Mars.

Artemis III will also carry a suite of seismometers to monitor the seismic environment at the Moon’s south pole and determine its geological structure, particularly the crust and mantle.

The third instrument will measure the ability of regoliths (rocky debris) to propagate an electric field, a key parameter in the search for lunar volatiles, especially ice.

Astronauts plan to return to lunar orbit in September 2025 as part of the Artemis II mission.