---
title: "How to water potatoes on the Moon? Scientists have already begun seeking answers"
description: "Scientists investigated plant irrigation for future lunar bases. Due to weak gravity, water behaves differently, requiring new engineering approaches for space farming."
date: 2026-10-03T12:07:39.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/how-to-water-potatoes-on-the-moon
tags: [moon, space-farming, botany, blue-origin, space-research]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# How to water potatoes on the Moon? Scientists have already begun seeking answers

![Growing plants under lunar gravity conditions](https://xab.info/media/2026/10/03/kak-polivat-kartosku-na-lune/kak-polivat-kartosku-na-lune-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- Lunar gravity increases the relative role of water surface tension
- The experiment took place in February 2025 on Blue Origin New Shepard
- Glycerin solution demonstrated better hydrodynamic properties

Creating autonomous life-support systems for future lunar bases faces fundamental physical obstacles, the primary being the reliable irrigation of plants. Researchers led by space biologist John Kiss, Carl Hasenstein, and Christopher McKay examined fluid behavior under lunar gravity conditions. They found that weak gravity drastically increases the role of surface tension, altering the entire dynamics of water movement within containers and porous materials.

### The Role of Lunar Gravity and the New Shepard Experiment

Lunar gravity is approximately one-sixth of Earth's, causing gravity to lose its dominance in moisture distribution. During the suborbital flight of Blue Origin's New Shepard 29 in February 2025, scientists tested three liquids: pure water, a saline solution, and a 30% glycerin solution. Under two minutes of simulated lunar gravity, researchers observed significant changes in the meniscus and fluid motion, confirming theoretical concerns.

### The Lunar Regolith Challenge and Special Additives

An additional challenge is lunar regolith—fine-grained fragmented rock differing greatly from terrestrial soil in structure and porosity. The combination of weak gravity and regolith properties affects moisture distribution and oxygen delivery to roots.  The 30% glycerin solution demonstrated more favorable flow characteristics, leading scientists to consider special additives as a viable way to manage water behavior in space farming.

### Research Prospects and Significance for Future Missions

Growing crops like potatoes is viewed as a key element for supplying crews with food, oxygen, and water, as well as waste recycling. Researchers plan to continue experiments with longer lunar gravity simulations and eventually conduct direct tests on the Moon's surface.  These findings will form the basis for designing entirely new irrigation systems adapted for space realities.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Как поливать картошку на Луне? Ученые уже начали искать ответ](https://www.ixbt.com/news/2026/10/03/439915-kak-polivat-kartosku-na-lune-ucenye-uze-nacali-iskat-otvet.html) - Основной источник новости с детализацией эксперимента на Blue Origin.
- [Полив, который убивает за несколько дней: ошибки, из-за которых растения гибнут зимой](https://www.pravda.ru/news/gardening/2308859-indoor-plants-care/) - Подтверждено по источнику pravda.ru
- [Полив комнатных растений: 7 ошибок, которые могут стоить вам цветов](https://www.pravda.ru/news/gardening/2148795-poliv-cvetov/) - Подтверждено по источнику pravda.ru
- [Листья желтеют не просто так: как понять, что растению много воды](https://glavred.info/sad-ogorod/listya-zhelteyut-ne-prosto-tak-kak-ponyat-chto-rasteniyu-mnogo-vody-10771259.html) - Подтверждено по источнику glavred.info

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: Why is watering plants on the Moon harder than on Earth?
**A:** Because weak lunar gravity makes surface tension a dominant force, altering how water moves and distributes.

### Q: What experiment did scientists conduct?
**A:** In February 2025, during a New Shepard flight, scientists tested the behavior of three liquids under simulated lunar gravity.