NASA's Deep Space Food Challenge Pt 2

NASA's Deep Space Food Challenge Pt 2

Bob Larson
Bob Larson
I’m Bob Larson. Ideas for feeding our astronauts more than freeze-dried packets and Tang is the question being posed to the Ag community.

It’s called the “Deep Space Food Challenge” and NASA would love any and all ideas for providing long-term space travelers a broader, nutritious, and sustainable menu.

NASA’s Monsi Roman says their looking for ideas that include repurposing any and all ingredients …

ROMAN … “It makes sense that we start looking at the possibility of growing what you need in a way that is sustainable, because as we go longer and longer throughout our missions, what happens is that you need to save everything that you have in your spacecraft, right? So, sustainability is important. We need to be able to recycle, repurpose or reuse everything, everything, and food should be part of that.”

Much like Matt Damon’s character in the movie the Martian, Roman says having more than one entrée is the goal …

ROMAN … “He was eating potatoes and toward the end you see the result of that. He was extremely thin and very malnourished. So, absolutely, the variety is important.”

And, just who are they looking to for help in this Deep Space Food Challenge?

ROMAN … “Truthfully, we are looking at anybody outside of NASA, or even inside of NASA, that might be able to think differently.”

By the way, NASA is offering up to $500K in prizes for the

best ideas in the Deep Space Food Challenge.

Tune in tomorrow for more.

For more information on NASA’s Deep Space Food Challenge, just go to …

www.deepspacefoodchallenge.org/challenge#mission

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