Getting humans into space is a challenge all its own, but it is also only the first step in getting our species to become a spacefaring one. Books like Kelly and Zach Weinersmith’s A City on Mars illustrate the logistical challenges of establishing a beachhead on the moon or another planet, which include cosmic rays, harsh conditions and the question of what people will actually eat.
For the last of those, one idea has recently taken flight: hummus. But not just any hummus; instead, this hummus would have its origins in space. Earlier this year, the journal Scientific Reports published a paper whose authors simulated growing chickpeas in dirt similar to that which would be found on the Moon. (Kind of like the potatoes in The Martian, except in this case it’s found in a peer-reviewed publication.) In doing so, they developed a simulation of what soil on the Moon — also known as lunar regolith — would be like.
“How do we transform this regolith into soil? What kinds of natural mechanisms can cause this conversion?” one of the paper’s authors, Sara Oliveira Santos, explained. She and her colleagues used a combination of fungi and vermicompost to create an environment in which chickpeas could grow, and tested these in various combinations. The chickpeas were able to grow in mixtures that consisted of 75% or less lunar regolith.
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Architect Alexis Dornier drew inspiration from James Bond for a new projectHowever, the scientists are still a long way from developing what another one of the researchers, Jess Atkin, called “moon hummus” in an interview with Science News. At issue here is whether the chickpeas grown in lunar regolith are safe to eat — or if the minerals in the Moon’s soil would render them toxic. Knowing that lunar soil can support plant life under certain conditions is encouraging news, but the safety of those crops remains an open question.
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