The National Aeronautics and Space Administration intends to grow herbs and vegetables on the Moon, to find out whether living things can survive on Earth's natural satellite.
NASA aims to send seeds on the Moon in 2015 in sealed metal cases, that would contain everything that the seedlings need to grow.
Seeds from basil, turnips and about 100 seeds from Arabidopsis (a small flowering plant from the same family as cabbage and mustard seeds) will be planted on the lunar surface.
The herbs and vegetables, that will be subject to lunar gravitation and radiation, will be kept an eye on from Earth, after being planted using a specially-made metallic case, containing a small reservoir of water.
The team of scientists, students and volunteers behind this project is known as the Lunar Plant Growth Habitat team.
The team confirmed that they will be observing the germination of the seeds by periodically taking photos of the crops.
This endeavor will aid in investigating the lunar environment.
According to experts, if the plants are able to survive on the Moon, this means that people will also be able to live on Earth's satellite.
A NASA spokesperson explained that plants require the same conditions for life as humans - food, water and air.
NASA will send the seeds to the Moon using a commercial spacecraft, called Moon Express.
The seeds will be sealed in containers, and it is estimated that the air contained therein will last long enough for their germination within 5 days.
The International Space Station will provide greenhouses, similar to those in Antarctica, which were created for the psychological comfort of people living on the ice continent.
Water will be added to the seeds in a module after landing and their growth will be observed from 5 to 10 days, and will be compared with the growth of seeds planted on Earth at the same time.
NASA proclaims, that the experiment will be the first of its type, where life from Earth will be witnessed in unusual conditions.
According to experts, this effort will be a crucial step in the use of plants to support human life.
