As NASA is getting ready to send astronauts back to the moon with the Artemis II mission. Scientists are asking an important question. What will the future astronauts eat while they stay on the moon? New research from The University of Texas at Austin suggests that chickpeas could be a key part of future lunar meals.
For the first time, researchers successfully grew chickpeas using a simulated version of moon soil, also called lunar regolith. The study, carried out in collaboration with Texas A&M University, is published in the journal Scientific Reports. According to the team, this experiment provides valuable insight into the challenges of growing food on the moon.
Sara Oliveira Santos, the lead researcher and a distinguished postdoctoral fellow at the University of Texas Institute for Geophysics (UTIG), explained that the main goal is to understand if crops can survive in lunar conditions. “We are trying to figure out how to turn moon dirt into something plants can grow in,” Santos said. “We also want to know what natural processes could help this conversion.” Lunar regolith is very different from Earth soil.
While it contains nutrients needed by plants, it lacks the organic matter and microorganisms that make soil fertile. It also contains heavy metals that could be harmful to plants. Because of these factors, growing crops directly in moon dirt is not possible without modification. For the experiment, the team used a moon soil simulant from Exolith Labs, designed to mimic the composition of the lunar soil samples brought back by Apollo astronauts. To make the soil more suitable for plants, they mixed it with vermicompost.
Vermicompost is a nutrient-rich material created by red wiggler worms, which digest organic waste such as food scraps or cotton-based items. The mixture not only adds nutrients but also brings helpful microorganisms that support plant growth. The researchers treated the chickpeas with a special fungus called ‘arbuscular mycorrhizae’. This fungus helps the chickpeas absorb nutrients. It also reduces the amount of harmful metals the plants take from the soil, such as lead and cadmium, which can be detrimental to their growth and health. This symbiotic relationship improves the plants’ chances of surviving in a challenging environment. Chickpeas were then planted in different mixtures of moon dirt and vermicompost.
The team discovered that plants could grow well in soil with up to 75% moon dirt. Above this, they showed stress and died early.
Chickpeas treated with fungi lived longer in tough conditions. This shows the fungi help protect the plants. The fungi also survived in the lunar soil. So, astronauts might only need to add it once for future lunar gardens. Growing chickpeas on simulated moon soil is exciting. But we still don’t know if they are safe or nutritious to eat.
The researchers need to study whether the plants absorb harmful metals and assess their nutritional value. “We want to determine if chickpeas could be a healthy food source for astronauts,” said Jessica Atkin, the first author of the paper and a doctoral student in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences at Texas A&M University. “We need to know if they have the right nutrients and if they are safe. How many generations would it take to make them edible on the moon?” Originally funded by Santos and Atkin, the project has now received support from a NASA FINESST grant.
This research could help astronauts to maintain proper nutrition during long-term lunar missions. It might also allow farming on the moon one day. The study shows crops can grow in moon-like soil. This is an important step toward making space travel more independent. If chickpeas or other crops can thrive on the moon, astronauts could rely less on Earth-based supplies, making extended lunar missions more practical and affordable.
