Research has shown us that growing plants on the moon would be very difficult because the moon’s temperature is unstable. Temperatures ranges from 225 degrees in the day to negative 240 degrees at night.
Google is teaming up with the Lunar X Prize. The Google Lunar X Prize is a race between private teams to get the first plant to the moon. The winner will get 20 million dollars.
The Paragon Space Development Corporation has made a small greenhouse that is going to be sent to the moon. It is called Lunar Oasis. This greenhouse is glass with an aluminum frame. It is one and a half a feet tall. The greenhouse is not scheduled to go to the moon until at least 2012.
The plant that the scientists are planning to use is a brasica; a member of the mustard family. It takes only 14 days for the brasica to grow from seed to flower so the scientists should see results quickly.