By Charlotte Johnson
In a bold and innovative leap into the future of space exploration, QUT Associate Lecturer Lauren Fell has embarked on a mission that could redefine our relationship with the cosmos. Her start-up, ‘Lunaria One’, aims to grow plants on the moon as part of the Australian Lunar Experiment Promoting Horticulture (ALEPH) mission, slated for 2026. The mission is deceptively simple: test if the hardy seeds of resurrection plants (Selaginella lepidophylla) can grow in moon regolith (moon soil) – a step that has already been achieved by the teams at Australian National University and QUT. The next step is sending them to the moon aboard a lunar lander, where testing parameters of gravity, light, oxygen and water – all things that are essential here on Earth; and observe if these plants do indeed ‘resurrect’.
I was lucky to sit down with Fell to learn more about her journey from psychology to space science, the formation of ‘Lunaria One’, and the challenges of growing life on our space-neighbours’, barren lunar surface.
Fell’s background is an interesting mix of cognitive psychology and quantum physics. She is an Associate Lecturer and PhD candidate at QUT, specializing in cognitive science and how humans interact with technology. Her research explores quantum cognition, a field that draws on the concepts of quantum physics to explain the “different ways” humans think and make decisions.
“I always held on to this fascination with physics and space,” Fell explains. Although her career path led her to psychology, her other passions never diminished. Fell participated in NASA’s crowdsourced challenges, which helped her reconnect with her love for space, while also winning multiple contests such as the NASA REALM project storyboard challenge in 2017. These challenges facilitated her learning of computer-aided design modelling, 3D printing, animation, robotics and storyboarding, all contributing to her understanding of a broad array of research. Fell emphasizes the importance of combining perspectives from different fields, including biology and engineering to solve the complex challenges, especially in the case of growing plants on the moon.
The birth of ‘Lunaria One’ started when a researcher from Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) reached out to Fell after hearing of her NASA successes. Together, they proposed a science payload for an Israeli lunar mission. The inspiration for the project was both practical and symbolic.
“We asked kids what they would like to see on the moon, and they said, ‘We want to see something grow up there’, and we thought – that is a really attractive idea.”
The idea of bringing life to the barren and grey lunar surface was too compelling to resist for Fell and her team, and that was the seed for ‘Lunaria One’.
However, the challenges of growing plants on the moon proves to be a daunting task. The lunar surface has extreme temperatures, ranging from -170°C in the polar regions to 130°C in the middle of the lunar day, not to mention no atmosphere. These conditions are far from ideal for most terrestrial plants, which are used to a more stable environment. Fell elaborates on the role of engineering in overcoming these challenges, “Our engineers are working on thermal control and making sure the plants can survive these extreme conditions. If they need to put in a heater or a radiator, it must be carefully modelled to ensure the desired temperatures are maintained.”
QUT School of Biological and Environmental SciencesSenior Lecturer Professor Brett Williams is a part of the biology team selecting which plants will be able to go on the lunar mission. Professor Williams explains that “a morning mission is planned. A lunar day is 28 Earth days, meaning 14 days of continuous light. A day mission will hopefully have temperatures on the warmer side, but engineers are working on simulating what conditions the plants will be exposed to [before launch]”.
Fell also reflects on some unexpected hurdles, particularly regarding public reaction to space-related ventures. “One thing I was surprised about is the number of comments and interactions you get when talking about space that are negative. We’re talking flat-earth kinds of things, and the “we never walked on the moon” argument,” she says.
Fell acknowledges the importance of being transparent and mindful of ethical concerns, especially when bringing biological material to another celestial body. She emphasises it has been a dominantly positive communications experience, highlighting how educating youth on Australia’s growing space exploration and research industry has been rewarding. “Our space agency is very new, and lots of kids I talk to don’t even realise that we have one. So, it’s really fun to tell them, ‘Yeah, it’s just like NASA”.
Despite the challenges, Fell is optimistic that mission ALEPH will lead to substantial research advancements, not just for space, but for extreme environments on Earth. “If you can do something really well in a challenging, almost impossible environment, then you can improve drastically in environments that are not as difficult.”
Monitoring the plants will involve comparing data with terrestrial control experiments run in parallel with lunar experiments. A notable aspect of the project is the integration of citizen science, where students create “at-home experiments”, participating by running their own versions of the control tests contributing to a larger body of shared data.
This collaboration inspired Fell, describing it as being one of the most fulfilling parts of the mission. Coming from a non-biological or engineering background, she relishes the learning opportunities each day brings.
“For me, I find that every day I’m learning some new concept or information,” she says. This excitement drives her outreach efforts, hoping to inspire curiosity and learning in others, and as a mentor for young women aspiring to enter STEM fields. “I would say to anyone follow your interests. Don’t worry, we all have barriers that we have to overcome, keep an eye out for opportunities, and follow them. You don’t have to have a standard pathway. I certainly didn’t and now we are going to space”.
To read more about the project and Fell’s start-up – you can find more information here: https://lunaria.one/aleph/
NASA Realm storyboard challenge: REALM (RFID-Enabled Autonomous Logistics Management) is a three-phase experimental project focusing on radio frequency identification (RFID) technology that caters logistics management for space exploration missions. Dr Fell created a concept storyboard for introducing this project to the public. See the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bcWA-HnSSY
Charlotte is a final year Communications (Journalism) and Biological Sciences student – and sees this as her way to get the best out of both QUT campuses and shuttle bus trips. She loves all things science communication and is interested in ecological and wildlife research. She also has a great love for Film and Literature – and will talk about movies and Formula 1 as much as possible. With her dream of being the next David Attenborough, she is often at her family’s farm with her dogs, alpacas, goats, chickens, cows, and a good book.
