SpaceX has reportedly been tapped by Front Range Biosciences to smuggle some drugs from Earth to the International Space Station in a mission set to launch in March 2020. The idea behind the move is to examine whether plants could mutate in zero gravity or if they can be genetically modified.
Front Range CEO Dr. Jonathan Vaught explained,
“This is one of the first times anyone is researching the effects of microgravity and spaceflight on hemp and coffee cell cultures. There is a science to support the theory that plants in space experience mutations. This is an opportunity to see whether those mutations hold up once brought back to earth.
A SpaceX capsule will make the weed delivery
Imagine a bunch of astronauts getting high in zero gravity, I’m sorry to make you sad or upset but the cannabis plants and seeds that are going to make their way into space next year are hemp strains.
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Hemp is really great for a lot of things, but getting high isn’t one of them.
We are on the edge of a great new space age that will include sending a man deep into space than we have ever gone and for longer periods of time. We will have to figure out how to grow plants in space and on alien soil. Especially in case, the climate crisis fluctuates the rules for plant life on Earth.
Hemp is a legal strain of cannabis that is grown for industrial uses. Also used in a variety of ways, including in clothing, shoes, rope, and more.
The hemp has an extremely low level of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which means it cannot produces the psychoactive effects common in marijuana. On a federal level, marijuana is illegal.
However, some states have made it legal for recreational use, medicinal use, or both.
Why does Elon Musk want to launch Cannabis in Space?
Come March and SpaceX may start planning to bring cargo to the International Space Station. The cargo will also include hemp and coffee in addition to its regular payload. Front Range Biosciences has already entered into a partnership with SpaceCells USA and BioServe Space Technologies for this initiative.
Agri-tech company, Front Range Biosciences recently announced that its aims to send plant cultures of hemp to space. The cultures are intended to remain in an ISS incubator for 30 days. In this period, the hemp will be monitored from the University of Colorado, Boulder by BioServe Space Technologies. The cannabis cultures will then be sent back to Earth.
Once it is back, Front Range Biosciences will be observing what effect space radiation and micro-gravity have had on the gene expression of hemp.
Scientists to examine the effect of space on plants
The scientists want to know whether the space in some way materially affects the plants. How they can be used in the future for the varieties of products? These beneficial changes could make new discoveries in plant-based products.
The researchers are hoping that they can develop ways to make sure plants can survive in different environments as climate change further impacts the world. Currently, 480 plant cultures are being sent into space orbit.
SpaceX, here, is acting as little more than the courier, bringing the plants to and from the space.