NASA is looking for suggestions on how to feed astronauts on long-duration missions in the future. A portion of the $1 million prize pool may be awarded to some eligible teams.
As space agencies work toward deeper space travel, they must consider several important factors for such long-duration missions. Food is one of them. As NASA explained in a news release, bringing pre-packaged foods on long-duration missions may not be enough to meet the astronauts' nutritional requirements. It is because food loses nutritional value over time.
Jim Reuter, the associate administrator for NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate, said in a statement that feeding astronauts over long periods within the constraints of space travel would require innovative solutions. Pushing the limits of food technology will keep future explorers healthy and may even help feed humans here at home, he added.
NASA, CSA's Deep Space Food Challenge
Now, NASA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) invite teams to enter Phase 2 of the Deep Space Food Challenge. The new challenge aims to help bring innovative food production technologies to space and here on Earth.
Phase 1 of the competition ended in 2021, with 18 winning teams receiving a total of $450,000 for ideas on making "safe, acceptable, palatable, nutritious food" while reducing "necessary resource inputs," according to NASA.
What's cookin'? Seriously, we want to know.
— NASA (@NASA) January 20, 2022
Phase 2 of the Deep Space Food Challenge offers up to $1 million to teams who demonstrate food production technology for future long-term space missions, potentially benefitting people on Earth. Ready? Sign up: https://t.co/SYr3lbqkVq pic.twitter.com/zIBnnuAdKp
The winning teams proposed various novel systems, ranging from making bite-sized snacks from fast-growing microalgae to a system that would allow astronauts to bake bread in space. New and existing teams are invited to build prototypes of their designs and present them at a "kitchen-level demonstration" in Phase 2.
Competition to Make Food, Other Strategies For 4-Person Crew
ABC Action News said the competition seeks contestants to develop a food production technology, technique, or strategy that could be integrated into a full food system to support a four-person crew on a three-year deep space mission.
Everything needed to keep, prepare, and supply food to the crew should be considered, including production, processing, transportation, consumption, and waste disposal. Plant growing systems, manufactured food items, and ready-to-eat solutions, when combined, might give future crews several alternatives for obtaining the required daily nourishment.
Winning Team To Receive $1 Million
The Spoon said that teams from the United States are eligible to compete for a share of the $1 million prize pool. However, NASA said other qualified teams could participate, but they will not qualify for the monetary rewards.
The prize pool for NASA's Phase 2 competition is split in the following - the top ten scoring teams will get $20k each, the top five scoring teams will receive $150k each and be invited to play in Phase 3.
While NASA hasn't said much about Phase 3, the Canadian Space Agency has billed it as a "Full System Demonstration. Finalists will build and scale up their solutions in Canada over a 12 to 18-month period beginning in Fall 2022. When NASA launches Phase 3, the last leg focuses on a comparable system scale-up as the main criterion.
The deadline for eligible teams to register for Phase 2 is February 28. The winners will be announced by March 2023.
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