“We have given consideration to future survival in space. Learning about these plants’ growth in a low-gravity environment would allow us to lay the foundation for our future establishment of a space base,” Professor Xie Gengxin, the experiment’s chief designer, told the press.

The self-reliant biosphere housed within China’s Chang’e 4 lunar lander includes a supply of air, water, and varied nutrients needed to allow the plants to grow. Temperature and humidity levels are maintained through on-board systems, which is integral due to the Moon’s wildly-shifting surface temperatures that can range from 212 degrees Fahrenheit in the sun to -280 degrees Fahrenheit in the shade.

The ability to grow plant life on the Moon or in deep space could have a number of benefits for manned space voyages in the future. Launch payloads could be reduced if crews could grow food during the trip and the photosynthesis process could reduce carbon dioxide, help manage moisture levels within the spacecraft, and of course, produce breathable air. Long-term colonies on Mars or the Moon would also need a sustainable source of oxygen and food. Producing it locally would represent a much safer and more economically-feasible model than ferrying such supplies to and from Earth.

The seeds sent aboard the Chinese lander each have specific roles to play in a future colony: potatoes are calorie-dense and a resilient food source, cotton could help produce clothing, and the rapeseed plants could be a source of oil. The yeast will aid in decomposition and decomposing plant matter will provide sustenance for the flies — assuming the experiment progresses as planned.

Some have voiced concerns about China’s experiment, suggesting that the introduction of these life forms to the lunar surface could result in inter-planetary contamination. NASA, for instance, employs a planetary protection officer whose sole task is to ensure NASA makes every effort possible to avoid polluting foreign space bodies with Earth-borne bacteria. However, those concerns seem a bit like picking nits when one considers the 100 or so bags of human waste NASA’s Apollo missions left on the Moon’s surface decades ago.