How plants will grow on the Moon where gravity is six times lower than Earth's gravity?
That simple question was the origin of Green Moon Project early in 2016. Since then, we have been working in a very intense way to support space agriculture. We create solutions that merge planetary geology, plant biology and aerospace engineering to design the future spatial crops.
Green Moon Project arose in September 2016 from the curiosity of some young university students from Málaga (Spain) who wanted to see how the germination of a seed and subsequent growth of the plant stem under the effects of lunar gravity would be. The Green Moon Project team presented their own capsule design, a robotic moon germinator, to the competition organised by Team Indus within the Google Lunar X Prize. Green Moon Project was a multidisciplinary team with a clear astrobiological component composed of two engineers and a biologist. The project participated with another 3,400 and was selected as the only Spanish team that reached the international classification of 15 finalist projects in Bangalore (India) on March 15th, 2017.
Since then and to date, Green Moon Project has been evolving and is today a platform composed of multiple Spanish researchers with a solid background capable of providing a consistent response in astrobiological and spatial topics. When the news jumped into the world that China had managed to plant the first plant on the Moon in January 2019 and due to the similarity with the capsule that Green Moon Project had developed and presented in India, Green Moon Project contacted the Chinese team. Since then, multiple conversations have been going on until Green Moon Project was invited to the University of Chongqing (China). It was possible to know the capsule that performed the experiment of the mini lunar biosphere, as well as the facilities where it was built and the researchers responsible for it. There was a first exchange of scientific and technological information between both parties in September 2019. We signed a collaboration agreement with the Chinese Centre of Space Exploration. Besides that, we are open to collaborate with many others groups and institutions as well. Please, do not hesitate to reach us!
In December 2019 the Chinese team returned the visit when traveling to Spain. The trip was comprised in two main parts. The first one took place in Madrid where a series of meetings were held at the Geosciences Institute of Spain (IGEO) at the Complutense University of Madrid within the Green Moon Project and with the Spanish National Network of Astrobiology and Planetology (REDESPA) support, the Chinese Embassy in Spain and the Geominero Museum. At the Geominero Museum it was possible to watch the only Lunar rock that Spain owns. The second part of the trip took place on the Spanish Island of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands. There was a welcome meeting with the president of the island of Lanzarote and several places of great interest were visited, such as: Timanfaya National Park, Jameos del Agua, Cueva de los Verdes, La Geria and the Mirador del Río (which gives to see the island of la Graciosa). These excursions were very important to highlight the rich geodiversity that can be found in Spain. In the case of the island of Lanzarote we find an authentic natural laboratory that serves as a planetary analogue. This is very important because due to its volcanic origin there are multiple lava tubes like those that can be found on the Moon. They filter the effects of cosmic radiation as well as maintain a more constant temperature. It is very likely that future bases on the Moon will be located in enclaves of this type. That is why Green Moon Project wants to experiment in these geologically recognised places as planetary analogues.
From now on, work will be done so that Green Moon Project will have its place in future space missions as a specialist in space agriculture for future crops to provide with plants, vegetables, food and fresh air the future humans that will live outside Earth.
Green Moon Project will be there.
Only a multidisciplinary and dynamic team would be able to develop something like this
THE GREEN MOON PROJECT AND CHINESE CENTER OF SPACE EXPLORATION AGREEMENT
中国重庆大学教育部深空探测联合研究中心（COSE）团队与西班牙（欧盟）绿月项目科学家和工程师联合团队之间的合作协议。该文件象征着为开展太空生态系统及太空探索建立中西科学家和工程师多学科团队之间的合作关系奠定了第一步基础。从这里开始，双方将寻求确定必要的步骤，以便签署研究协议，使这种国际合作更加正式。双方合作的几个主要方面是：太空生物及地外生态系统科学研究，以及空间科学和深空探测的研究、设计、技术等合作，开展建造未来的太空漫游车及巡视探测技术等。该合作协议于2019年9月7日在重庆（中国）签署。
Primera reunión para expresar el propósito de establecer un acuerdo de colaboración entre el equipo del Centro de Exploración Espacial (COSE) del Ministerio de Educación en la Universidad de Chongqing en China y el equipo de científicos e ingenieros expertos unidos a través de Green Moon Project en España (Unión Europea). Este documento simboliza el primer paso para establecer una asociación entre los equipos multidisciplinares de científicos e ingenieros chinos y españoles para la futura exploración espacial y el desarrollo de ecosistemas espaciales. A partir de aquí, ambas partes buscarán definir los pasos necesarios que lleven a la firma de un acuerdo de investigación que haga que esta colaboración internacional sea efectiva, involucrando las instituciones españolas y europeas a las que los investigadores españoles pertenecen. Los principales aspectos de la cooperación entre las dos partes son: la investigación científica de la astrobiología y el ecosistema extraterrestre, así como la investigación, el diseño, la tecnología de la ciencia espacial y la exploración del espacio profundo, la ingeniería y la técnica para diseñar y construir los futuros rovers espaciales de inspección. Se firma este documento en Chongqing (China) el 7 de septiembre de 2019.
First meeting to express the purpose of establishing a collaboration agreement between the team of the Center of Space Exploration (COSE) of the Ministry of Education at Chongqing University in China and the team of scientists and engineers united through the Green Moon Project in Spain (European Union). This document symbolises the first step in establishing a partnership between the multidisciplinary teams of Chinese and Spanish scientists and engineers for the future space exploration and space ecosystems development. From here, both parties will seek to define the necessary steps that will lead to the signing of a research agreement that makes this international collaboration effective, involving the Spanish and European institutions to which the Spanish researchers belong. The main aspects of cooperation between the two sides are: scientific research of astrobiology and extraterrestrial ecosystem, as well as the research, design, technology of space science and deep space exploration, the engineering and technique to design and build future space rovers of inspection. This document is signed in Chongqing (China) on September 7th, 2019.
