By Lily Bourne
Remember Ridley Scott’s 2015 blockbuster hit, The Martian? Stranded millions of miles from Earth on Mars, protagonist Mark Watney cultivated a garden of potatoes able to sustain himself for over 500 days. For those of us who wondered whether this feat of human ingenuity could truly happen, we won’t have to wait much longer. NASA’s Artemis III team aims to conduct a similar–this time real-life–experiment on our lunar companion, the Moon.
NASA’s Artemis III team consists of the first woman, the first person of color, and the first international partner astronaut to land on the Moon, and is set to launch in September 2026. According to NASA, their goal is to “establish long-term exploration for scientific discovery and preparation for human missions to Mars for the benefit of all.” Recently, NASA announced the three scientific instruments that will accompany these astronauts on their journey and help them conduct research once they land. The mission will bring the Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS), Lunar Dielectric Analyzer (LDA), and the Lunar Effects on Agricultural Flora (LEAF) to the South Pole where astronauts will complete unique installation processes. The LEMS will monitor seismic activity which will contribute to our overall understanding of lunar formation and evolution. The LDA will “measure the regolith’s ability to propagate an electric field”. Contributed by Dr. Hideaki Miyamoto and supported by the JAXA–Japan’s NASA, essentially–the LDA will help scientists search for frost and ice on the Moon’s surface.
The last instrument, appropriately named the LEAF, will test the effects of the lunar environment on crops. NASA states, “LEAF will be the first experiment to observe plant photosynthesis, growth, and systemic stress responses in space-radiation and partial gravity.” These findings will help experts determine the possibilities of plant growth on the Moon and beyond. Specifics of the plan will continue to form as we draw closer to the estimated take-off date, as NASA hopes to gain long-term understanding to help aid humanity’s quest for the stars. While we still have to wait a few more years before the mission launches, the possibility of a real-life Mark Whatney seems closer than ever!
