The Shenzhou 23 manned spacecraft was launched in May, and experimental materials such as rice seeds flew with it to the Chinese space station. After more than two months of careful cultivation, astronauts harvested the first batch of experimental rice samples. The experiment is expected to be the first to continuously cultivate two generations of rice in orbit.
The first experiment of continuously cultivating two generations of rice in orbit is progressing smoothly
Since stationed at the China Space Station for more than two months, the three astronauts Zhu Yangzhu, Zhang Zhiyuan and Li Jiaying of the Shenzhou 23 crew are in good condition. The first "Research on the Molecular Mechanism of Multi-generation Genetic Stability and Environmental Adaptability Regulation of Space Rice" experiment was carried out, and the collection and storage of the first batch of rice experimental samples were completed. Related research is expected to provide theoretical support for the "in-situ" production of extraterrestrial grain.
After more than two months of careful cultivation, astronauts harvested the first batch of experimental rice samples. This experiment is expected to be the first to continuously cultivate two generations of rice in orbit, realizing two consecutive full life cycles of rice "from seed to seed to seed".
Extraterrestrial "in situ" production: a key survival guarantee for deep space
The so-called "in situ" production refers to growing food on the spot in space and circulating it autonomously in space without relying on supplies from the earth. This will provide a key survival guarantee for humans to move further into deep space.
In 2022, the China Space Station carried out the world's first "from seed to seed" full life cycle space cultivation experiment of rice. 6 rice seeds were launched into space and 59 first-generation space rice seeds were harvested.
Among the rice seeds that entered space with the Shenzhou 23 spacecraft this time, one type is ordinary seeds that have never left the surface of the earth, and the other type is the descendant of the "space family" that was harvested on the space station in 2022 and brought back to the ground for breeding for three generations.
This experiment is divided into two groups, corresponding to the two breeding methods of rice:
One group will carry out sexual reproduction, harvest the rice ears after the seeds are mature, and then transfer the rice ears to a new culture box for second-generation planting to examine the "transgenerational memory" of the sexual process, that is, whether seeds that have been in the sky are better able to adapt to the space environment than those that have never been in the sky.
The other group uses the regeneration rice model. After the rice matures, it only needs to retain the root system, and the remaining root stubble can be used to re-germinate and grow a new crop. They compare the adaptability differences between vegetative reproduction and sexual reproduction in space environments.
It is understood that astronauts not only need to collect rice ears and seeds, but also store stems and leaves and other samples at low temperatures and bring them back to Earth for researchers to carry out relevant research, thereby providing a basis for selecting production models for future space agriculture.
It is not simple to cultivate two generations of rice in space. Why should we cultivate two generations of rice in space? Zheng Huiqiong, a researcher at the Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that the current solution to the food problem is to transport food from the earth. If we go to Mars, the cost of transporting food from the earth will be very high and unrealistic. So just like going to Mars or further into deep space, you may need to produce food in situ. So now we need to study, after this excellent variety reaches the sky, it produces a generation of seeds, and then whether the genetic stability of this seed can be maintained, whether the genetic characteristics can be maintained, and what the next generation of seeds will be like, this is what this experiment will do.
How many crops have been harvested by the "space garden" in 10 years?
From 2016, when Chinese astronauts sowed lettuce seeds for the first time on Tiangong-2, to 2026, when the Chinese space station realized multiple batches of space planting. In the past ten years, Chinese astronauts have overcome many technical difficulties, and growing vegetables in space has turned from science fiction into reality.
This photo was taken in 2016. In the Tiangong-2 space laboratory, Shenzhou-11 astronauts Jing Haipeng and Chen Dong carefully sow lettuce seeds. This is the first time that Chinese people have artificially cultivated vegetables in space. A month later, the green lettuce grew, but the astronauts did not eat it in orbit. Instead, they brought plant samples back to the ground for biosafety testing, which fully proved the feasibility of Chinese people growing vegetables in space.
Since the Chinese space station entered the construction stage, space planting has ushered in a new stage of development. On September 10, 2022, the Shenzhou 14 astronaut crew celebrated their first Mid-Autumn Festival on the Chinese Space Station. On this day, the crew received a special "additional dish" - the lettuce seeds they carried grew into two lush green "space lettuce" after nearly three months of planting and cultivation. This is the first time that Chinese astronauts have eaten vegetables grown by themselves in orbit. In addition to lettuce, the team also successfully cultivated wheat and dwarf tomatoes.
With the completion of the China Space Station and its transition to normal operation, astronauts have been working and living in orbit for half a year. The demand for fresh fruits and vegetables and the green and fresh environment in space has increased, and the area and number of plant plantings have also increased. The astronaut crews on missions continue to conduct plant cultivation experiments in space.
The crews from Shenzhou 15 to Shenzhou 17 worked in relay "farming" and cultivated three kinds of lettuce ("King of Lettuce", "Hongye" and "Metro") and "Honglei" cherry tomatoes, enriching the Chinese people's "space recipes";
The Shenzhou 19th crew attempted to grow sweet potatoes in orbit for the first time, expanding the range of crops grown in space.
This "space vegetable garden" is becoming more and more abundant.
Currently, the space station has two sets of space plant cultivation devices in orbit, which will be officially launched in June and August 2023 respectively. They will be used to carry out lettuce cultivation verification experiments and cherry tomatoes and shallot cultivation experiments. Next, aerosol culture experiments on wheat, carrots and medicinal and edible plants will be carried out in the space station.
Why are the Chinese obsessed with “farming” in space?
Experts say that there is not only the need for space exploration, but also the code of our civilization.
Wang Yanan, aviation expert at Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, editor-in-chief of "Aviation Knowledge": If humans want to stay and do scientific research in deep space or even other celestial bodies for a long time in the future, they need to grow rice in space for a long time as the main food source. Whether rice has genetic stability during multiple life cycles in space means whether humans can continue to grow rice in space in a sustainable manner. This will provide a stable possible food source for astronauts, so this is also an important goal of this cultivation experiment.
Persisting in "farming" to provide a stable food source for space survival
Sun Jiashan, researcher at the Chinese Culture Teaching and Research Department of the Central University of Socialism: This is because we Chinese people are attached to the land, and it is the most extreme expression of the Chinese people’s concept of settling down and relocating. Wherever the Chinese go, their rice bowls will be carried. Thousands of years of farming civilization have given the Chinese nation unique civilizational characteristics. It is a major farming cultural gene left to us by our ancestors, which is to not panic when you have food in your hands. Today's space rice breeding is not an accident, but a natural continuation of the cultural genes and cultural attributes of the Chinese nation and Chinese civilization in the space age and aerospace age.
