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Japanese research group to explore food production on moon

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Japan's government and its space agency will join hands with food and tech companies to launch research on developing a sustainable food source on the moon, in an attempt to encourage the private sector to enter the space business, sources with direct knowledge of the plan said.

I for one would hope that the government and private sector would do more "research" about the problems closer to home now, before they start looking "out there".

8 ( +13 / -5 )

Cannot this money be used for making a vaccine factory first?

5 ( +10 / -5 )

Cannot this money be used for making a vaccine factory first?

It could probably do that ten times over, but doing so violates the principles of the LDP: make Japan look super-cool to the outside world while treating its own citizens like peons.

Mind you, said citizens keep voting for them.

14 ( +14 / -0 )

The ultra wealthy "elites" are preparing their escape.

9 ( +12 / -3 )

While I understand and share the concerns about vaccines, the research that goes into learning how to grow food at -100C without adequate water and nutrients could be incredibly useful in the upcoming climate crisis, which in all likelihood will make Covid look like a walk in the park. So I think this is a good initiative.

2 ( +8 / -6 )

With all those available preconditions there, yes, why not? It’s only consequential to fight climate changes too and continue with an iceberg factory on the sun. And those primitive vaccines for the people on Earth, that’s easily and quickly done , not so important and can wait of course quite a bit longer. lol

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Japans self sufficiency for food is very low, alarmingly low for an island nation. The average age for farmers must be hitting 70+ by now. The JA monopoly on food production distribution is a (tax payer subsidies) scam.

‘why look to the moon when there could be so much done under your feet? Idiots.

9 ( +10 / -1 )

These technologies, if developed, are also expected to solve issues of farming under desertification and climate change on Earth.

This could be useful.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

Thought I was on The Onion for a moment, but then reality hit.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Japan's government and its space agency will join hands with food and tech companies to launch research on developing a sustainable food source on the moon, in an attempt to encourage the private sector to enter the space business, sources with direct knowledge of the plan said.

The tech has applications both here and in other habitats. That said, you have massive food waste in Japan, for example at the Olympics, families with children with not enough to eat during a pandemic depression, and food banks being slammed. The scarcity is artificial.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

A pie in the sky idea,you can already grow plants without soil

4 ( +5 / -1 )

How about researching ways of distribution that prevent us from the impending climate catastrophe rather than falling for the nonsense of delusional billionaires?

A majority of studies on the subject suggest that there are enough resources to support more people than currently live on the planet. Talk about space colonization only distracts from the fact that climate change doesn't only make land unarable but also uninhabitable.

If you think about how expensive and troublesome it was to send two people to the moon at a time it seems mind-blowing people actually think it'll feasible to feed the hundreds of millions possibly displaced by climate change. Or are we only looking at luxury goods? Along the line of space travel for the super wealthy?

1 ( +2 / -1 )

How about investing in Japan countryside instead? Is not like we are lacking lands to cultivate food. What we lack is people willing to invest in the countryside which is causing people to move to the cities to find jobs.

Why are we wasting money on space when we aren't even properly developing the nation back home?

9 ( +10 / -1 )

If nothing else, this inspired me to Google "temperature on the moon".

The moon rotates on its axis in about 27 days. Daytime on one side of the moon lasts about 13 and a half days, followed by 13 and a half nights of darkness. When sunlight hits the moon's surface, the temperature can reach 260 degrees Fahrenheit (127 degrees Celsius). When the sun goes down, temperatures can dip to minus 280 F (minus 173 C). Temperatures change all across the moon, as both the near and far side experience sunlight every lunar year, or terrestrial month, due to lunar rotation.

Japanese people are fond of the word "muzukashii", but that sounds very muzukashii to me.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

So they are gonna spend billions to farm the moon coz they didn't waste enough on the Olympics!

2 ( +5 / -3 )

Or solve the climate crisis that is going on right now...

Complete idiots

9 ( +12 / -3 )

Anywhere you see the word "sustainable" in the pitch,

they're selling expensive seashells by the seashore...

4 ( +5 / -1 )

You know, coincidentally, I was just chatting with some buddies the other day.

And we amazingly all were wondering and talking about, how the thing this universe needs the most in 2021, is food on the moon!

I mean we can’t even get a flight out of the country (or more specifically can’t get back in without hassle…..)

But we definitely need to make food on the moon priority number 1!!!!

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Is this a joke?

And at a time when we need more than ever, to develop sustainable food production here on earth, where there is water, air, and at the moment at least, reasonable temperatures.

Key word - Permaculture....

4 ( +6 / -2 )

When are they going to the moon then…?

Details on how and when!

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Humans still cannot take control of this Earth we live on , yet they want to grow food on a non atmospheric dead rock, Saturn, Neptune and even Uranus if they could.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Good and useful in the long run not only for moon as pointed in the article. Nevertheless, as most are pointing out is it really something which could be a focus as of now ?

If we were currently in the active process of solving the issue on Earth that could be relevant but for now seems a bit putting the cart before the horse. What is the government actually doing to promote Japan sustainable agriculture ? Did anyone see companies having an active system in place to encourage and help workers wanting to be whatever-farmer through telework. The after retirement people will go back to countryside and become farmers as its limits one being they are not going to get lot of young/fit farmers able to do heavy work for the one not able to do it anymore, another one is in the end not 100% of the farm will be taken over as some people will/can not go back.

What about encouraging NTT to install high end telecom infrastructure in several farming area and Ajinomoto Co send voluntary workers and their family there so that they can telework and also manage a small farm. They could even move headquarter there. Government could lead by moving Ministry of agriculture out of Tokyo area (and several other one when they are at it).

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

When they’ve finished howling at the Moon and setting up farms there, maybe they can come back down to earth and turn their attention to the climate crisis we have here.

When I was a kid I used to read sf novels about spacemen terraforming distant planets to help support Earth’s overflowing population. Seems in the not-too-distant future we’ll be reading news reports about attempts to terraform the Earth after we’ve carbon-emissioned ourselves past the point of no return.

Chabbawanga has it right - complete idiots.

3 ( +6 / -3 )

We’re in ‘intermission’ between the ‘acts’ of the ‘circuses’. - Now, here’s to promise of ‘bread’ instead of actual sustenance for masses.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Sounds more like another J political party slogan/promise: “ They will do it, too !! … in 2022 !! ” -

*- @Kentarogaijin 8:26am: “They will do it too, ..” - Responding to: {Can’t this money be used for making a vaccine factory first?]*

and gotta love the additional assurance(?) :

@Kentariogaijin 8:26am: “ don't panic ” -*

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

And WHEN, the Japanese FINALLY do develop their ‘truly-unique’, umami of sustainable “moon food”, . . . celebrity talento will be trembly holding it on closeup camera with ohashi while engaging in some over-exaggerated “Oishisou !!” and “Umaii !!” .

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

Exile to project, with long term benefits to mankind both here on earth and in our future in space!

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Uh. What? Growing food on the moon. Without water. Or an atmosphere. Why exactly would anyone want to go to the moon? Let alone live there?

I will chip in, I will tithe, to send Bezos, Musk, Branson, Gates, Ellison, all and any billionaires, to relocate to the moon.

A fabulous idea!

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Food production on the moon? Well, everyone knows the moon is made of cheese so it shouldn't be too difficult!

0 ( +1 / -1 )

These genuises always find away to pass awaJapan's government and its space agency will join hands with food and tech companies to launch research on developing a sustainable food source on the moon, in an attempt to encourage the private sector to enter the space business, sources with direct knowledge of the plan said.

The gov't will be the full time sponsor of this madness, the private companies know it is not

feasible but can't say no with the free cash they will be receiving meanwhile individual entrepeneurs

have to go through hoops and loops to apply for corona virus aid from the government, some give up applying after their application has been turned down about 24 times for some flimsy imaginary errors that those doing the turning down won't say because they don't outright want to give the money. Yet they can always come up with schemes to channel taxpayer money to their J-inc buddies.

The 130K lunch boxes for olympic volunteers that were fully paid for and dumped in trash boxes rather than given to under priveleged homes is still fresh in the mind yet they are already itching to waste some more.

Where is the anger ?

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Will there be specialty moon cakes made on the Moon?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Lunar brand Moon Pies perhaps?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

ShinkansenCaboose said;

"Humans still cannot take control of this Earth we live on , yet they want to grow food on a non atmospheric dead rock, Saturn, Neptune and even Uranus if they could."

I'm going to make a wild guess that mushrooms would possibly prosper on Uranus.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Japanese should stick too what they are good at train,if Nasa wanted to colonize the moon ,they would of done it,

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Perhaps one possible development, anticipate by some, could be a new “Pocky” flavor? 

@5:11pm: “Exploring is just a study. It will not actually get done, but the money-wasting exploring it is a waste and could be put to better use as most commentators have written.” 

To reduce costs of these studies, perhaps ‘simulations of ingestion’ could be safely conducted by volunteers on Japan’s high-speed rail system ?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I'm going to make a wild guess that mushrooms would possibly prosper on Uranus.

I think those are called hemorrhoids ^_^

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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