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Episode 120: Prof. Gengxin Xie. A Greenhouse on the Moon

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Chang’e 4. Credit Prof. Xei Gengxin

On Thursday, 3rd January 2019, some water was added to some seeds in a tiny greenhouse. The seeds, cotton, potato, Rape and Arabidopsis sprouted. 

Experiments like this have been conducted many times before. What was special about this one was that it was done on the surface of the Moon.

The guest on this episode is Professor Xie Gengxin from Chongqing University in central China. He was the  Chief Designer of this Bio experiment carried to the Moon on Chang’e 4 in January 2019. The interview was recorded in Milan during the International Astronautical Congress 2024.

In summary

  • The Chang’e 4 lunar mission by China landed on the far side of the moon and conducted a unique biological experiment involving cotton, potato, rape, and Arabidopsis seeds, along with fruit fly eggs and yeast, within a small, sealed greenhouse.
  • The primary goal of the experiment was to determine if plants could germinate and grow on the moon despite the lower gravity, lack of atmosphere, intense sunlight and radiation, and extreme temperature variations.
  • Cotton seeds successfully germinated 22 hours after water was added, marking the first instance of plant growth on the moon. These lunar seedlings grew faster than their counterparts in a control experiment on Earth and showed surprising resilience to the cold lunar night.
  • The experiment’s design included features like passive insulation, active temperature control, a small window for natural sunlight, and anti-fogging technology for the cameras monitoring the growth.
  • The findings suggest that lower gravity and higher radiation might have aided plant growth, and the experiment provided valuable insights and led to the development of technologies relevant to future space-based agriculture and the establishment of lunar habitats.
  • This biological experiment is considered a significant step in China’s lunar exploration program, which includes plans for a future lunar base (the International Lunar Research Station) and further research into creating sustainable ecosystems in space, potentially within lunar lava tubes.
Episode 120. A Greenhouse on the Moon.

Episode 119: Professor Ivan Almar and Astronomy in Hungary during the Soviet Era 

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During the International Astronautical Congress in Milan in October 2024, Professor Iván Almár was elected to be a member of the Astronautics Hall of Fame. 

Professor Ivan Almar
Professor Ivan Almar: Credit Konkoly Observatory Budapest, Hungary DSc

It is an honour previously bestowed on individuals or groups that in the past have included Apollo 11 astronauts,  NASA Administrator Charles Bolden,  Zezhou SUN Designer-in-Chief of Chang’e-4 Program, Yuri Koptev General Director of the Russian Space Agency, the James Webb Space Telescope team from (NASA, ESA and CSA), and the Tianwen-1 Spacecraft Development Team. 

I am familiar with Theodore Von Karman and Herman Oberth, both of whom are associated with Hungary. They played an instrumental role in the development of astronautics. Since Hungary was under the influence of the USSR for most of the post-WW2 years, the astronautics it conducted were not easily publicly accessible.

Ivan Almar completed his university studies in 1954 and became aware of the activities for the International Geophysical Year 1957-58. He knew that the USSR Academy of Sciences and other countries planned to build and launch satellites to observe the Earth from orbit. The coincidence of time and place set him on his long career. His contributions included 

I started by asking him how his interest in astronomy started.

Episode 118 : Galactic Magnetic Fields

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D Vasuhandra Shaw

Dr Vasuhandra Shaw is a postdoctoral research Associate at the Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics at the University of Manchester. Her subject of interest is a huge one, and I mean ginormous. It concerns the magnetic field of a Galaxy. 

I knew that the Earth and many other objects in the solar system have magnetic fields, but I had no idea about the galaxy as a whole. Our Milky Way galaxy is huge; how do you even begin to understand the magnetic field of something like that? She will explain. 

We also spoke about her interesting journey from Lucknow in northern India, where she completed her undergraduate studies, to Pondicheri in southern India, where many people still speak French, where she completed her first Master’s degree; Paris, where she completed her second, and Berlin, Germany, where she completed her PhD. 

We also discuss the precarious uncertainty in the careers that researchers and academics must endure before acquiring a full-time post. Not all of them make it that far.

Cliff Richard and astronomer from Yorkshire Fred Hoyle, who was the Professor Brian Cox of the 1960s, also popped up in our conversation.

Episode 117 – Early Aviation in Manchester

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Credit. Museum of Science and Industry

Manchester has always been associated with the spirit of scientific discovery and technological innovation. Cotton spinning and weaving, steam engines, railways and computing are familiar themes but Manchester also played a leading role in the development of aviation.

Frank Pleszak, an author and volunteer at the avroheritagemuseum.co.uk in Woodford, which celebrates its centenary year with an open day on September 15th, 2024, has written a blog post that includes a map of locations in Manchester identifying many of the events and people of aviation at the beginning of the twentieth century.

In this program, Frank shares his research on early aviation in Manchester.