Author Topic: Life found on the moon... (Read 3447 times)

andyoxon · « **on:** 15 January, 2019, 11:51:58 am »

...Chinese grown cotton plants to be precise.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-46873526

lmpressive, first biological matter grown on the moon.

First step in a moon-base race with USA?

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #1 on:** 15 January, 2019, 11:57:32 am »

Race to the first lunar textile factory? Interesting that the cotton has grown but none of the other organisms have.

mattc · « **Reply #2 on:** 15 January, 2019, 12:17:46 pm »

Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 15 January, 2019, 11:57:32 am

Race to the first lunar textile factory? Interesting that the cotton has grown but none of the other organisms have.

In which case, who is going to wear the stuff?!?

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #3 on:** 15 January, 2019, 12:21:36 pm »

They didn't run around naked...

bobb · « **Reply #4 on:** 15 January, 2019, 12:38:40 pm »

It's life "Put" on the Moon rather than "Found". Not that it isn't fascinating...

T42 · « **Reply #5 on:** 15 January, 2019, 01:06:32 pm »

According to The Martian, isn't one of the criteria for successful colonization to plant & grow a crop of something?

spesh · « **Reply #6 on:** 15 January, 2019, 01:36:05 pm »

Quote from: bobb on 15 January, 2019, 12:38:40 pm

It's life "Put" on the Moon rather than "Found". Not that it isn't fascinating...

Quite. There's no need to use a misleading thread title as click bait.

That sort of thing is best left to the ideologues in P&OBI.

Edited.

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #7 on:** 15 January, 2019, 02:05:49 pm »

If this cotton plant dies before Chang'e leaves the moon (I assume it is going to return to Earth at some point, if only so botanist people can examine the plants), it will be the first death on the moon.

ian · « **Reply #8 on:** 15 January, 2019, 02:20:42 pm »

I'm really not sure why anyone wouldn't expect a plant to grow on the Moon, it's in a sealed, temperature-controlled environment, so the only real difference is the lack of gravity. And plants have been grown plenty of times in microgravity.

Obviously going to the Moon is a quite an achievement in itself as it isn't even on a bus route.

Torslanda · « **Reply #9 on:** 15 January, 2019, 02:39:06 pm »

Am I right in thinking this is on the 'far side' of the Moon? ie the bit that never faces the Earth?

That they could achieve a controlled landing and get pictures back from the lander is most impressive, to me at any rate. The Apollo spacecraft had a radio blackout for almost half of every orbit, Anyone know how the Chinese have overcome this?

ian · « **Reply #10 on:** 15 January, 2019, 02:42:38 pm »

They bounce them off a relay satellite they had thoughtfully remembered to put up there.

Andrij · « **Reply #11 on:** 15 January, 2019, 04:56:14 pm »

Quote from: ian on 15 January, 2019, 02:42:38 pm

They bounce them off a relay satellite they had thoughtfully remembered to put up there.

While they're at it, I wonder if they'd be so kind to confirm there are no alien craft parked out of our line of sight.

Kim · « **Reply #12 on:** 15 January, 2019, 05:37:27 pm »

Quote from: T42 on 15 January, 2019, 01:06:32 pm

According to The Martian, isn't one of the criteria for successful colonization to plant & grow a crop of something?

First human to Von Kármán crater's a space pirate!

Kim · « **Reply #13 on:** 15 January, 2019, 05:40:01 pm »

Quote from: ian on 15 January, 2019, 02:42:38 pm

They bounce them off a relay satellite they had thoughtfully remembered to put up there.

For "orbiting the Earth-Moon L2 point" values of 'up there', so they only need the one satellite for continuous coverage.

Kim · « **Reply #14 on:** 15 January, 2019, 05:43:17 pm »

Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 15 January, 2019, 02:05:49 pm

If this cotton plant dies before Chang'e leaves the moon (I assume it is going to return to Earth at some point, if only so botanist people can examine the plants), it will be the first death on the moon.

It's not coming back. Sample-return is an objective for a later mission, and is harder on account of needing much more rockety stuff. I think the SCIENCE question here is how long their little ecosystem-inna-bottle will remain viable for.

What I'd like to know (and haven't seen in the media) is whether the lander and/or rover is designed to survive the lunar night or not. That's a non-trivial engineering challenge in itself.

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #15 on:** 15 January, 2019, 05:44:22 pm »

In that case we can start planning the first lunar funeral.

ian · « **Reply #16 on:** 15 January, 2019, 05:50:55 pm »

Quote from: Kim on 15 January, 2019, 05:40:01 pm

Quote from: ian on 15 January, 2019, 02:42:38 pm
They bounce them off a relay satellite they had thoughtfully remembered to put up there.

For "orbiting the Earth-Moon L2 point" values of 'up there', so they only need the one satellite for continuous coverage.

Or they have a really long piece of string and a couple of tin cans.

andyoxon · « **Reply #17 on:** 15 January, 2019, 05:51:36 pm »

Quote from: spesh on 15 January, 2019, 01:36:05 pm

Quote from: bobb on 15 January, 2019, 12:38:40 pm
It's life "Put" on the Moon rather than "Found". Not that it isn't fascinating...

Quite. There's no need to use a misleading thread title as click bait.

That sort of thing is best left to the ideologues in P&OBI.

Edited.

I'm guessing people didn't actually think extraterrestrial life had been discovered on the moon...

andyoxon · « **Reply #18 on:** 15 January, 2019, 05:54:55 pm »

Quote from: ian on 15 January, 2019, 02:20:42 pm

I'm really not sure why anyone wouldn't expect a plant to grow on the Moon, it's in a sealed, temperature-controlled environment, so the only real difference is the lack of gravity. And plants have been grown plenty of times in microgravity.

Obviously going to the Moon is a quite an achievement in itself as it isn't even on a bus route.

I do think there's a symbolic element to this cotton plant growth.

Bring on a moon base.

Kim · « **Reply #19 on:** 15 January, 2019, 05:56:03 pm »

Quote from: ian on 15 January, 2019, 05:50:55 pm

Or they have a really long piece of string and a couple of tin cans.

Unfortunately those don't work properly in a vacuum. I think they discovered that on one of the Gemini missions.

spesh · « **Reply #20 on:** 15 January, 2019, 05:59:45 pm »

Quote from: andyoxon on 15 January, 2019, 05:51:36 pm

Quote from: spesh on 15 January, 2019, 01:36:05 pm
Quote from: bobb on 15 January, 2019, 12:38:40 pm
It's life "Put" on the Moon rather than "Found". Not that it isn't fascinating...

Quite. There's no need to use a misleading thread title as click bait.

That sort of thing is best left to the ideologues in P&OBI.

Edited.

I'm guessing people didn't actually think extraterrestrial life had been discovered on the moon...

That may be, but using wording like that in the thread title was just asking for it...

rogerzilla · « **Reply #21 on:** 15 January, 2019, 06:13:54 pm »

Mondnazis?

ian · « **Reply #22 on:** 15 January, 2019, 06:34:24 pm »

Didn't someone park a bus up there?

spesh · « **Reply #23 on:** 15 January, 2019, 06:45:47 pm »

Quote from: ian on 15 January, 2019, 06:34:24 pm

Didn't someone park a bus up there?

No, it was a WW2 bomber found on the moon, the bus was found at the South Pole. Allegedly.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/62440303@N04/5683217529

ian · « **Reply #24 on:** 15 January, 2019, 06:51:36 pm »

Ah, I see. That makes a lot more sense. It didn't seem very likely someone had parked a bus up there.