Project Overview

Edible Moon is a reflection of a hospitable otherworldly environment.

Peculiar and yet indescribably fascinating, space colonization never ceases to test our abilities. A common difficulty when envisioning life outside earthly boundaries is the necessity of a self-sufficient habitat, especially in terms of agriculture.
The future of humanity has often been portrayed on the moon. However, the lunar soil is not exactly the ideal place to harvest a crop. As a follow up to this challenge, recent research has shown that cyanobacteria, grown on the moon (with provided water, sunlight and lunar soil), could be used to extract useful elements from the lunar soil. Other bacteria could be used to break down the processed cyanobacteria, resulting in a nutritious mixture, meant to become a fertilizer for hydroponic gardens.
Moreover, the breakdown of cyanobacteria would generate methane, which could be utilized as rocket fuel. It also generates oxygen, an important component of the artificial atmosphere which would be absolutely necessary for an unearthly society.

Bibliography: 1. D. Shiga, Hardy Earth Bacteria can Grow in Lunar Soil, NewScientistSpace.com, 14 of March, 2008
2. Haym Banaroya, Turning Dust to Gold-Building a Future on the Moon and Mars, Springer Praxis, 2010
3. Peter Eckart, Spaceflight Life Support and Biospherics, Microcosm Press, 1994