China plans to grow flowers and silkworms on the dark side of the moon

The telegraph ^ | 13APR18 | Neil Connor, Beijing

[vannrox]

China hopes to create a 'mini biosphere' on the dark side of the Moon, with flowers and silkworms sustaining each other as they grow on the lifeless lunar surface. The unprecedented plan to create life in outer space is the most intriguing part of China's lunar probe mission later this year, and could be a major boost for dreams that humans will one day live on the Moon.

[dfwgator]

“You was definitely in the right. That geezer was cruising for a bruising!”

[Fiji Hill]

It is the FAR SIDE of the moon, not the dark side.

I've always heard it called the dark side of the moon. But it looks like that expression is now considered racist.

[Oscar in Batangas]

I was hoping that no one would point that out to them. Just let them figure out why all their silkworms were frozen crispy critters when they went back to retrieve them.

[Scrambler Bob]

Time to break out Pink Floyd.

Check out historical references ...

[rawcatslyentist]

Ready Player One

[jonrick46]

They will build a biosphere to grow flowers and silkworms on the dark side of the moon? Ooops! There is no set dark side because the moon rotates in an approximate 27-day cycle. Maybe those long 13.5 hr days will make the plants grow faster.

[null and void]

But it looks like that expression is now considered racist.

Only by people from darkest Africa....

[Rebelbase]

A complete waste of a classic Pink Floyd album.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Their error. They mean the “far” side.

[Rio]

Good. But it’s not dark there any more than it is on the side that we can see.

[existtoexcel]

The dark side is Vader’s turf.

[Yaelle]

Every night I dream about living on the moon with flowers and silkworms.

---

They’re hiring, Corn. How good is your Chinese?

[Windflier]

It is the FAR SIDE of the moon, not the dark side.

You're correct, but the public is stuck on 'the dark side'.

[windsorknot]

Ha!

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks vannrox. I hope it's for fishnet stockings, I love those.

[VanShuyten]

“But there might be deep craters near the poles that never get into sunlight...”

Which might not be a bad place to build, given the lack of magnetic and atmospheric protection from solar outbursts of deadly radiation. Water left over from comet strikes would be more likely to remain in those protected places, too.

[jmacusa]

Dark side of the moon? I thought it was all dark.

[gigster]

Pink Floyd Ping.

[PIF]

The FAR SIDE is located in the Pacific North West and is some times called Seattle ...

[PIF]

Nowhere in the story does it say why the far side was chosen over the near side. I think this may be Chinese fake news, aka propaganda.