If French aquaculture scientists are right, a fish farm on the lunar surface could one day become a hungry moonbase resident for a seafood dinner.
The question of how humanity feeds itself once a permanent colony is established on the Moon is one that is still being debated and debated. Self-sufficiency, or at least a reasonable replica, is paramount as we step away from Earth and begin to study not only our own satellite, but exoplanets, asteroids , and hills outside the comforts of our own solar system.
A new study called the Lunar Hatch Program was commissioned by researchers at the French Research Institute for Marine Detection (IFREMER), and confirms that astronauts could grow and harvest fish on the Moon by using eggs delivered from Earth and H2O obtained. from the soil of the moon.
According to the research paper first published in the online journal Springer, samples of fish eggs were tested to see if they could simulate rocket orbit aboard the Russian spacecraft Soyuz.
IFREMER scientists were pleased to discover that the eggs of two species of fish, European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) and rare (Argyrosomus regius), were actually hard enough and could survive being taken to the Moon.
“I suggested the idea of laying eggs, not fish, because eggs and embryos are very strong,” lead author Cyrille Przybyla and IFREMER aquaculture researcher told Hakai Magazine.
Przybyla and his colleagues selected the specific fish species based on characteristics such as moderate oxygen requirements, low carbon dioxide production, and short birth schedule. Bakers holding the eggs were shaken vigorously using orbital vibration, before surviving from a more intense vibration in a second device that resembled the launch of the Russian rocket Soyuz.
Their results confirmed that a success rate of 82% was obtained in the unbroken control samples, with 76% of the sea eggs hatched. Scarce fish eggs received a higher score, with 95% of hatched eggs laying against 92% from the unbroken control group.
Adding fresh fish to the European Space Agency’s planned food supply by transporting eggs to the base would greatly enhance the food that astronauts offer, far beyond than the traditional freeze-dried fare, and would provide nutrition such as essential amino acids, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, and vitamin B12.
“It was completely deceptive,” Przybyla said. “The environment was very harsh for these eggs. From a psychological point of view, it is better to remember the Earth – you have a garden, you have a tank with fish. ”