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From bugs to algae, and from 3D printing to synthetic photosynthesis, NASA has introduced a plethora of concepts about what the way forward for meals in area may appear to be. The company just lately held a problem asking organizations and members of the general public to submit their most daring ideas of the right way to feed astronauts on area missions.
NASA astronaut Megan McArthur enjoys recent meals on the Worldwide House Station. NASA
NASA’s Deep House Meals Problem invited cooks, small companies, and college students to submit their progressive concepts about the right way to develop meals for astronauts, with the successful groups receiving a prize of $25,000 every.
A few of the successful entries included rising microalgae and dehydrating them into “crunchy bite-sized snacks;” producing meals from insect cells to be eaten instead of meat merchandise; making a symbiotic system of algae, yeast, mushrooms, and vegetation which might develop in 3D-printed synthetic soil; a synthetic photosynthetic system; and a microbial system which makes use of “plastic and biomass waste because the carbon supply for meals technology.”
As weird and maybe unappetizing as a few of these concepts may sound, being open-minded about completely different meals sources is essential for maintaining astronauts each mentally and bodily wholesome on long-duration area missions.
“NASA is happy to have interaction the general public in growing applied sciences that might gasoline our deep area explorers,” mentioned Jim Reuter, affiliate administrator for NASA’s House Expertise Mission Directorate, in a press release. “Our method to deep area human exploration is strengthened by new technological advances and numerous group enter. This problem helps us push the boundaries of exploration capabilities in methods we could not acknowledge on our personal.”
The event of bizarre meals merchandise and meals techniques is just not solely helpful for astronauts on area missions. With rising environmental challenges requiring new approaches to agriculture, they may additionally profit all of us right here on Earth.
“These kind of meals techniques may provide advantages on our house planet,” mentioned Robyn Gatens, director of the Worldwide House Station Program at NASA and problem choose. “Options from this problem may allow new avenues for worldwide meals manufacturing in resource-scarce areas and areas the place disasters disrupt crucial infrastructure.”
If you happen to’re eager about studying extra concerning the competitors, the successful entries, and the difficulty of meals in area, then NASA will air a present all concerning the problem on November 9 at 11 a.m. ET (8 a.m. PT). You possibly can watch on-line it by heading over to NASA TV’s web site.
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