Scientists Grow Plants in Lunar Dirt, Next Stop Moon

A researcher harvests a thale cress plant growing in lunar soil, at a laboratory in Gainesville, Fla. Tyler Jones/UF/IFAS via AP

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.—For the first time, scientists have grown plants in soil from the moon collected by NASA’s Apollo astronauts.

Researchers had no idea if anything would sprout in the harsh moon dirt and wanted to see if it could be used to grow food by the next generation of lunar explorers. The results stunned them.