The difficulty of feeding astronauts nutritious food as NASA gears up for upcoming Mars missions becomes critical.
For long-duration space travel, NASA and the Canadian Space Agency established the Deep Space Food Challenge and invited specialists from all around the world to participate.
The Space Culinary Lab, a portable kitchen-style apparatus created by Nonfiction’s Astra Gastronomy team in response, was created to suit the dietary requirements of astronauts on deep space missions.
Feeding Astronauts on Mars Missions
The lab incorporates stations for growing algae, leafy greens, and microgreens, as well as a microwave-like module for grilling and a creaming machine for creating beverages.
By offering diverse flavors and textures, the lab aims to prevent taste bud fatigue and ensure astronauts maintain a strong appetite, vital for their well-being during extended space travel.
The culinary lab’s innovative concepts have broader applications beyond space, including resource-challenged environments on Earth.
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Innovative Space Culinary Lab
While not being chosen during phase two, the design illustrates some of the technology that could be employed in resource-constrained areas like refugee camps and food deserts on Earth as well as in space.
In October 2021, the Space Culinary Lab completed the first stage of the Deep Space Food Challenge.
The concept, despite not being chosen at phase two, demonstrates some of the technology that might be employed not only in space but also in environments with limited resources, such as refugee camps and food deserts on Earth.
A savory and fruity kind of nutritional algal balls were available. The finished product resembled a snack for a protracted hike, yet it was pleasantly tasty and without an aftertaste of algae.
Bagley investigated many flavor combinations to find the perfect balancing point with the help of his colleagues at Nonfiction, Mark Alexander, Mardis Bagley, Nadia Kutyreva, and Fifile Nguyen.
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