With lunar missions looming, scientists grow chickpeas in ‘moon dirt’

If the idea of lunar hummus seems far-fetched, think again. Scientists working to cultivate the field of extraterrestrial agriculture have grown chickpeas in dirt made mostly of simulated lunar soil, a step toward enabling astronauts on ​long-term moon missions to produce their own food.

Researchers said harvestable chickpeas were grown in soil mixtures composed primarily of “moon dirt” modeled after lunar samples retrieved during NASA’s ‌Apollo missions more than half a century ago.