PART NINE 



SPACE BIOLOGY 



What will the first human being find on the Moon, or 

 on Venus, or on Mars? Will there be food plants there to 

 sustain him and if so, how will they differ from earth's plants 

 and how will he know which ones are edible and which ones 

 are deadly poisonous? Is there a book available on "Edible 

 Plants of the Moon"? If space men have to carry their food 

 with them, how much will they need and how can it be kept 

 in an edible condition? Some success has been had with 

 growing an alga called Chlorella in liquid media, but can 

 this be transported to the planets and can it be made to grow 

 there-? Lacking the solution at present, man may have to 

 carry a ton of dried food and sandwiches with him on his 



first few trips. . 



Another danger in space travel is the possible contamina- 

 tion of the planet or satellite to be visited by earth's microbes. 

 At present, as much sterilization of the equipment as is pos- 

 sible is being done. 



Despite all these problems that must be overcome, no one 

 doubts that space travel will become both common and safe 

 in time. Indeed, the Moon may become the greatest tourist 

 attraction of all time. 



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