NPR

China Tried To Grow Cotton On The Moon, But It Didn't Work

The cotton seeds aboard a lunar lander had encouraged hopes that plants could grow on the moon. But days after China boasted of the experiment's success, the tender shoots died.

It turned out to be the little sprout that couldn't.

The vaunted cotton seeds that on Tuesday China said had defied the odds to sprout on the moon — albeit inside a controlled environment — have died.

China's state-run Xinhua News Agency announced the news, simply stating: "The experiment has ended."

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