China's Space Spuds.

• Position: THE MOON - China National Space Administration plans to grow starchy vegetable on the moon - Brief article

China's new Moon mission could be one giant leap for ... potatoes. The China National Space Administration (CNSA) will try to grow the starchy vegetable on the moon as part of its Chang'e 4 mission, set to launch next year. The unmanned spacecraft will attempt to land on the far side of the moon--the side that can't be seen from Earth--something no country has done. (China, the U.S., and the former Soviet Union have, however, landed spacecraft on the near side of the moon, which faces Earth; and the U.S. was the first to send a human to the moon, in 1969.] Chang'e 4 will leave a mini ecosystem on the lunar surface. The container, made by scientists, will include potatoes, potato seedlings, and silkworm eggs. Once...