A science experiment intended to study how cannabis seeds fare in space—in hopes of one day planting the crop on the moon or even Mars—failed earlier this week when a capsule carrying the payload crashed into the Pacific Ocean.
The capsule contained 150 cannabis seeds that the project organizers hoped to examine after it returned to Earth. A day after the capsule had been launched on Monday by a SpaceX Rocket, its parachute apparently failed. It crashed into the water.
The capsule’s payload—including not just dozens of cannabis seeds but also the remains of more than 160 deceased people, whose loved ones had paid to send them briefly into space—is currently believed to be unrecoverable.
According to Gizmodo, “Due to this unforeseeable event, we do not believe we can recover or return these flight capsules,” said the memorial company Celestis in a press release. “We are sorry for the families’ disappointment and extend our gratitude to them.”
Exploration Company, the maker of the 1.6 ton capsule called Nyx that reenters into the atmosphere, says it is “still investigating and will soon share more information.” On Tuesday, it explained it had lost contact “a few minute before splashdown” with the craft.
Cannabis seeds are contained within a MayaSat-1 biological incubator. Scientists at Martian Grow, the group behind the project, hoped to study how conditions in space—including microgravity and cosmic radiation—affected germination and development of the plants.
In 2020, separate organizers sent both coffee and hemp tissue to the International Space Station. The findings are yet to be published.
The Martian Grow team is headed by Božidar Radišič at the Research Nature Institute, in Slovenia. The Martian Grow team is led by Bozidar Radisic at the Research Nature Institute in Slovenia.
“Sooner or later, we will have lunar bases, and cannabis, with its versatility, is the ideal plant to supply those projects,” Radišič said. It can provide food, proteins, building materials and textiles. There aren’t many plants that can provide us with all of these.
The current project aimed to determine how the genetics of cannabis seeds were affected by space. Cannabis plants are known to be tolerant to UV radiation and other stressors.
“The point is to explore how, and if, cosmic conditions affect cannabis genetics, and we may only find this out after several generations,” Radišič said.
Team members also hoped to examine changes in plant structure and morphology. They would be looking at things like leaf size, root growth and chlorophyll levels, as well as factors such water usage, rate of photosynthesis and amount used.
“Whether there are changes or not, both results will be important for the future, so we know how to grow cannabis in the space environment,” Radišič told WIRED.
It is noted that it will be some time before humans can grow marijuana on Mars or the Moon. The article points out factors like microgravity and extreme temperatures as well as toxins in soil.
Petra Knaus is the CEO of Genoplant. The company, which also develops a space capsule for Mars, said to WIRED that they will need to slowly adapt their plants to ensure survival. “For the time being, we think it’s only possible to use a capsule. [to grow plants] In a closed container system with the adapted conditions.
As for other intersections of cannabis and the cosmos, in 2018, the fact-checking website Snopes debunked an earlier article that suggested marijuana contained “‘alien DNA’ from outside our solar system.”
Neil deGrasse Tyson warned that using marijuana was not good for your health.
Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX said in an interview earlier this year that it would be a great idea to require drug testing for federal workers. Later, a Democratic Congresswoman proposed a law that would force Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency employees (DOGE) to undergo drug tests to keep their special government status.
SpaceX’s CEO has been reported to have used ketamine heavily, to the point that it affected his ability to urinate.
Separately, in the world of cannabis genetics, scientists reported last month that they’ve identified 33 “significant markers” in the cannabis genome that “significantly influence cannabinoid production”—a finding they say promises to drive the development of new plant varieties with specific cannabinoid profiles.
The Plant Genome published the findings, which “offer valuable advice for Cannabis Breeding programs, which enable the use of precise markers genetic to select and refine promising Cannabis varieties,” authors said.
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