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 might seem like. The company just lately held a problem asking organizations and members of the general public to submit their most daring ideas of learn how to feed astronauts on area missions.
NASA’s Deep Area Meals Problem invited cooks, small companies, and college students to submit their revolutionary concepts about learn how to develop meals for astronauts, with the profitable groups receiving a prize of $25,000 every.
A few of the winning 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 crops which might develop in 3D-printed synthetic soil; a man-made photosynthetic system; and a microbial system which makes use of “plastic and biomass waste because the carbon supply for meals era.”
As weird and maybe unappetizing as a few of these concepts would possibly sound, being open-minded about totally different meals sources is necessary for retaining astronauts both mentally and physically healthy on long-duration area missions.
“NASA is worked up to interact the general public in growing applied sciences that might gasoline our deep area explorers,” stated Jim Reuter, affiliate administrator for NASA’s Area Expertise Mission Directorate, in a statement. “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 surprising meals merchandise and meals techniques just isn’t solely helpful for astronauts on area missions. With growing environmental challenges requiring new approaches to agriculture, they might additionally profit all of us right here on Earth.
“A lot of these meals techniques might provide advantages on our residence planet,” stated Robyn Gatens, director of the Worldwide Area Station Program at NASA and problem choose. “Options from this problem might allow new avenues for worldwide meals manufacturing in resource-scarce areas and areas the place disasters disrupt vital infrastructure.”
In the event you’re excited by studying extra concerning the competitors, the profitable entries, and the problem 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 may watch on-line it by heading over to NASA TV’s website.
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