In 2018 China will send to the Moon lander Chang'E 4. Probe will land in the von Karman crater area (not to confuse with von Karman crater on Mars), on the far side of the Moon. This is impact crater with diameter of the external rim of 180 km. The interior of Von Kármán has been subjected to flooding by lava flows after the original crater formed, leaving the southern portion of the floor nearly flat. If successful, this will be the first landing on the far side of the Moon: nor Soviet, nor US landers never landed there.
Image: Wikimedia Commons
Image: Dr. Phil Stooke, Univ. of Western Ontario
Chang'E -4 probe is redesigned Chang'E-3 which landed on the visible side of the Moon in 2013 with new scientifical payload.
Image: National Astronomy Observatory of China - Chang'E-3 on the Moon surface, imaged from the rover
One of multiple tasks onboard the lander will be "mini-ecosysteme on the Moon's surface" - experiment, led by researchers with Chongqing University, reports the Chongqing Morning Post. All ecosysteme will be contained in an 18 x 16 cm cylinder.
Image: Sina Weibo
Potato seeds and the larvae of insects, including the silkworm, will be inside the sealed cylinder with artificial lights. The goal is to determine whether the potatoes can grow on the moon, and whether the insects can survive. Scientists will observe all stages of the experiment with cameras, installed inside. Silkworms will produce CO2 and growing potato - oxygen as result of the photosynthesis.
Image: Sina Weibo - Testing the mini-ecosysteme in the laboratory
Source: Chinadaily