As part of the Lunaria One expedition, researchers are conducting tests on plants destined for the Moon to ensure their survival against harsh space conditions. The project focuses on understanding the impact of space radiation on seeds and plants.

Mission lead Lauren Fell of Lunaria One utilized the Center for Accelerator Science’s space testing facilities to identify the most resilient plant species for the lunar voyage. These tests involved exposing both seeds and electronic components to radiation levels expected on the Moon.

The experiments were carried out using the ANTARES accelerator under the “Australian Lunar Experiment Promoting Horticulture (ALEPH)” project. This collaborative grant, funded by the Australian Space Agency through its Moon to Mars Initiative, involves partners such as Lunaria One and RMIT.

Simulating the Lunar Environment

“Testing on the ANTARES beamline closely replicates the lunar mission radiation environment expected inside the ALEPH chamber during solar events,” explained Dr Stefania Peracchi.

Dr. Stefania Peracchi, a space radiation specialist at the Centre, leads the project. She emphasized the importance of replicating the lunar radiation environment using the ANTARES beamline. Both dehydrated plant seeds and electronic components of the monitoring camera were tested.

Dr. Ryan Drury, an accelerator Scientist and Mechatronic Engineer, contributed his expertise in preparing the electronic component setup and testing, supporting the RMIT team.

According to Dr.Peracchi, “ANSTO unique precision irradiation capabilities were crucial for the delivery of the activity. The ANTARES ion microbeam was used to irradiate the sub-millimetre die of the electronic devices wiht high precision, and it was possible to irradiated sub-chips on the same sensor to study the single response to radiation.”

She added, “Similarly for biological samples, the microbeam was raster scanned across the customised areas on which the seeds and other species were positioned to maximise the dose delivery.”