Statewide Iowa — If you saw the blockbuster 2015 movie, “The Martian,” you’d understand how difficult it is to grow anything on another planet, and a new competition aims to test our abilities to do just that — but closer to home.
Sara Nelson, with the Iowa Space Grant Consortium, says the “Plant the Moon Challenge” is a global experiment to see who can grow the best crops using simulated lunar soil.
Nelson, the consortium’s assistant director for education and outreach, says the program is open to anyone of any age, but the focus in Iowa is on students in grades four through 12 who will be signing up in groups of ten.
The simulated lunar soil — or regolith — is expected to be a combination of rocky, dusty, sandy dirt and even Nelson isn’t sure what the ingredients will be. Whatever it is, it won’t provide a very hospitable environment for plants — and that’s the root of the challenge.
Entries are being accepted now. The program kicks-off in February with experiments being conducted in March through April. Teams must prepare and submit a report for NASA scientists by the end of April and a closing symposium and awards ceremony will be held in May. Iowa native astronaut Raja Chari, who is scheduled for liftoff Wednesday to the International Space Station, is one of 18 astronauts named to NASA’s Artemis program, which is planning to return to the Moon.
