The Future of Space Food: A Deep Space Culinary Lab Is Creating Delicious Dishes for Astronauts

Astronauts on a mission to Mars will face many challenges, but one of the most daunting ones is how to feed themselves, as food is not only vital for survival, but also for morale and mental health.

However, food in space is limited by storage space, shelf life, preparation options, and microgravity conditions.

To overcome these challenges, NASA and other space agencies have been experimenting with growing food in space and preparing food without fire.

These methods could provide astronauts with fresh and varied food that could supplement their pre-packaged meals.

They could also reduce the dependence on resupply missions and increase the self-reliance of the crew.

Moreover, they could recycle carbon dioxide and produce oxygen through photosynthesis, or they could also offer recreational and educational activities for the crew.

Growing food in space

(Photo : David Hecker/Getty Images)

One of the challenges of long-duration space missions is providing astronauts with nutritious and appetizing food, as per CNN.

Food is not only essential for maintaining health and performance but also for psychological and social well-being.

However, food in space has some limitations, such as limited storage space, limited preparation options, and the difficulties of eating in microgravity.

To overcome these challenges, NASA and other space agencies have been experimenting with growing food in space. Growing food in space has many benefits, such as:

Providing fresh and varied food that can supplement the pre-packaged meals
Reducing the dependence on resupply missions and increasing the self-reliance of the crew
Recycling carbon dioxide and producing oxygen through photosynthesis
Offering recreational and educational activities for the crew
Preparing for future missions to Mars and beyond, where growing food will be essential for survival

Astronauts grow plants in space by using special containers that create a suitable artificial environment for plant growth.

These containers provide water, nutrients, light, temperature, humidity, and air circulation to the plants.

Some of the containers that astronauts use to grow food in space are:

Veggie: A carry-on suitcase-sized garden that can grow leafy greens, such as lettuce, kale, and cabbage. Veggie uses seed bags that receive water from syringes that astronauts push into the bags. Veggie also has LED lights that provide a red, blue, and green light to the plants4.
Advanced Plant Habitat: A larger and more sophisticated version of Veggie that can grow more complex crops, such as tomatoes, peppers, and strawberries. The Advanced Plant Habitat has a closed-loop system that automatically controls the water, nutrients, light, temperature, humidity, and carbon dioxide levels of the plants. It also has sensors and cameras that monitor plant growth and send data to Earth.
Plant Water Management: A new experiment that aims to improve the water delivery system for plants in space. The experiment uses porous clay tubes that wick water from a reservoir to the plant roots3. This method mimics how plants absorb water from the soil on Earth and avoids waterlogging or drying out the plants in microgravity.

Also Read: Muscle Machine: MARES Will Keep ISS Astronauts' Muscles in Check

Grilling meat in space

Another challenge of eating in space is preparing food without fire.

Fire is dangerous in space because it can consume oxygen and spread quickly in a confined space.

Therefore, astronauts cannot use conventional methods of cooking food, such as grilling or frying, as per Slash Gear.

However, there are some alternatives that astronauts can use to grill meat in space.

Some of these alternatives are:

Thermostabilized meat: Meat that has been cooked and sterilized at high temperatures and sealed in pouches. This meat can be eaten cold or warmed up using a hot water dispenser or an oven on board the ISS. Thermostabilized meat can last for several years without refrigeration.
Rehydrated meat: Meat that has been freeze-dried and powdered and reconstituted with water before eating. Rehydrated meat can be mixed with sauces or spices to enhance the flavor. Rehydrated meat can also last for several years without refrigeration.
Cultured meat: Meat that is grown from animal cells in a laboratory without slaughtering animals. Cultured meat is still an emerging technology that has not been tested in space yet. However, some researchers have proposed that cultured meat could be a viable option for future space missions because it could reduce the environmental impact, ethical issues, and health risks of conventional meat production.

In conclusion, astronauts heading to Mars could enjoy fresh produce and grill meat by using various methods of growing food in space and preparing food without fire.

These methods could improve the quality of life and well-being of the crew during long-duration space missions.