"NASA's Artemis Astronauts to Cultivate Crops on the Moon in 2026"

NASA plans to grow plants on the Moon for the first time during the Artemis III mission in 2026, aiming to study how plants fare in partial gravity and space radiation. The project, called Leaf, will deploy growth chambers containing thale cress and duckweed, with the goal of establishing a permanent base on the lunar surface and reducing the need to ship food from Earth. This initiative is part of preparations for sustained lunar exploration and future missions to Mars, and will involve studying the impact of the lunar environment on plant growth and DNA.