Via RawStory:

Scientists at NASA’s Ames Research Center have proposed an experiment that would put a garden on the moon.

The lunar “greenhouse” will likely arrive on the moon as payload on an unmanned Google Lunar X-Prize mission in 2015. In it will be five days’ worth of air, a small water reservoir, and 140 seeds of cress, basil, and turnips.

The purpose of the experiment is to determine whether lunar light is sufficient for germination and growth, as well as measure the effect of higher radiation levels on plant development. According to the proposal, “[a] first step in long term presence [on the Moon] is to send plants. As seedlings, they can be as sensitive as humans to environmental conditions, sometimes even more so. They carry genetic material that can be damaged by radiation as can that of humans.”

The turnip is real, you guys. The turnip is real. The turnip is real. The turnip is real.