He is not the only researcher to expose plants to higher levels than the previous ones studied. Porterfield, who is one of the scientists working on the mission of NASA leaves – an experience of growth of lunar plants which will go on the Moon with Artemis III in 2027 – says that we know “almost nothing” on the impact of exposure to radiation beyond terrestrial orbit. Understanding the impact of the variability of radiation will be a “critical objective” of the mission of the sheets.

“We have been transported in orbit lower than the past 30 years and Havendo has advanced a large part of the basic research we need to go to the deep space, where you find galactic cosmic radiation”, Heys. “There may be unexpected answers from this variable radiation source. Plant responses to these radiation problems will be important for future agricultural systems on the moon.”

Once Mayasat-1 have returned, over the next two years, Radiošič and his team will work with the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia to raise generations of clones from space seeds to study genetic changes and plant adaptations, including “changes in changes in cannabinoid profiles”. The second phase of their study will then involve simulating the conditions of Martian soil and growing plants in low gravity environments controlled on earth.

Lumír Ondřej Hanuš, a chemist at the University of Palacký Olomouc in Czech and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, has been studying the cannabis factory since the 1970s. In the project research advisor, he thinks that there is “a lot of postural” for scientific ingesting once the seeds are returned.

In addition to potential genetic and epigenetic changes, the Martian Grow team will seek stutcutural and physiological changes, such as leaf size differences, chlorophyll content, root architecture, photosynthesis and water use. They will examine what will happen after the plant is exposed to stressors such as disease and analyze the activity of enzymatic hormones and secondary metabolites, which leads to the identification of new compounds.

“When there are changes or not, the two results will be important for the future, so we know how to develop cannabis in the space environment,” added Radiošič.

We are still getting out of real -growing cannabis on Mars, or any plant elsewhere. Microgravity, extreme temperatures, lack of nutrients and toxins in the soil do not make favorable conditions for cultivation.

“We will have to adapt to the environment on Mars and slowly adapt to our plants to survive,” explains Petra Knaus, CEO of genoplant. “For the moment, we think it will only be possible [to grow plants] In a closed system container with the suitable conditions. “For future missioni, the genoplant is developing in new space capsules in this vein, provided for its first recent test in 2027, which will allow researchers to cultivate seeds in space and monitor them for several years.

While cannabis could be a supercrop for the space era, on earth, it is always mainly considered as a recreational medication (although widely used for medicinal purposes), which presents regulars and researchers to fully recognize its scientific potential. Hanuš is optimistic that the results of the project, whatever they look like, could equalize part of this stigma and accelerate its scientific acceptance.

“If interesting results are published, it flows accelerating our cannabis sub-demande”, Heys. “It is a very important plant, which, I think, has a great future if humanity crosses space and begins life on another planet.”