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Scientists grow plants in lunar dirt, next stop moon HEALTH

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. DOCTOR ON DUTY
(AP) — For the first time, sci- Oranjestad
entists have grown plants Hospital 7:00 pm / 10:00pm
in soil from the moon col- Tel. 527 4000
lected by NASA’s Apollo
astronauts. San Nicolas
Researchers had no idea Imsan 24 hours
if anything would sprout in Tel.524 8833
the harsh moon dirt and Women in Difficulties
wanted to see if it could be PHARMACY ON DUTY
used to grow food by the Oranjestad:
next generation of lunar ex- Eagle Tel. 587 9011
plorers. The results stunned San Nicolas:
them. San Nicolas Tel. 584 5712
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“Holy cow. Plants actually OTHER
grow in lunar stuff. Are you Dental Clinic 587 9850
kidding me?” said Robert Blood Bank Aruba 587 0002
Ferl of the University of Flor- Urgent Care 586 0448
ida’s Institute of Food and Walk-In Doctor’s Clinic
Agricultural Sciences. +297 588 0539
Ferl and his colleagues Women in Difficulties
EMERGENCY
planted thale cress in moon
soil returned by Apollo 11′s Police 100
Neil Armstrong and Buzz Al- This 2021 photo provided by the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Oranjestad 527 3140
shows the differences between thale cress plants grown in volcanic ash from Earth, which had a
drin, and other moonwalk- similar particle size and mineral composition to lunar soil, left, compared with those grown in the Noord 527 3200
ers. The good news: All of lunar soil, right, after 16 days, at a laboratory in Gainesville, Fla. Sta. Cruz 527 2900
the seeds sprouted. Associated Press San Nicolas 584 5000
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11141
The downside was that Ambulancia 911
after the first week, the flows, for digging up plant- out 12 grams to the Uni- and now the question is Fire Dept. 115
coarseness and other ing soil. The environment versity of Florida research- how do we optimize and Red Cross 582 2219
properties of the lunar soil also could be tweaked, al- ers early last year, and the improve,” said Sharmila
stressed the small, flower- tering the nutrient mixture long-awaited planting took Bhattacharya, NASA’s pro- TAXI SERVICES
587 5900
Taxi Tas
ing weeds so much that or adjusting the artificial place last May in a lab. gram scientist for space Prof. Taxi 588 0035
they grew more slowly than lighting, NASA said the timing for biology.q Taxi D.T.S. 587 2300
seedlings planted in fake Only 842 pounds (382 kilo- such an experiment was Taxi Serv. Aruba 583 3232
moon dirt from Earth. Most grams) of moon rocks and finally right, with the space A1 Taxi Serv. 280 2828
of the moon plants ended soil were brought back by agency looking to put as- Women in Difficulties
up stunted. Results were six Apollo crews. Some of tronauts back on the moon TRAVEL INFO
published Thursday in Com- the earliest moon dust was in a few years.
munications Biology. sprinkled on plants under The ideal situation would Aruba Airport 524 2424
American Airlines 582 2700
The longer the soil was ex- quarantine with the Apollo be for future astronauts to Avianca 588 0059
posed to punishing cosmic astronauts in Houston after tap into the endless supply Jet Blue 588 2244
radiation and solar wind returning from the moon. of available local dirt for in- Surinam 582 7896
on the moon, the worse Most of the lunar stash door planting versus setting Women in Difficulties
the plants seemed to do. remained locked away, up a hydroponic, or all-wa- AID FOUNDATIONS
The Apollo 11 samples — forcing researchers to ex- ter, system, scientists said.
exposed a couple billion periment with simulated soil “The fact that anything FAVI- Visually Impaired
years longer to the ele- made of volcanic ash on grew means that we have Tel. 582 5051
ments because of the Sea Earth. NASA finally doled a really good starting point, Alcoholics Anonymous
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ducive for growth, accord- Fundacion Contra Violencia
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“This is a big step forward Centre for Diabetes
to know that you can grow Tel. 524 8888
plants,” said Simon Gilroy, Child Abuse Prevention
a space plant biologist at Tel. 582 4433
the University of Wisconsin- Quota Club Tel. 525 2672
Women in Difficulties
Madison, who had no role General Info
in the study. “The real next
step is to go and do it on Phone Directory Tel. 118
the surface of the moon.”
Moon dirt is full of tiny, glass
fragments from microme-
teorite impacts that got
everywhere in the Apollo
lunar landers and wore
down the moonwalkers’
spacesuits.
One solution might be to
use younger geologic spots
on the moon, like lava facebook.com/arubatoday/