.
NASA said it is deciding on a new space food system that would offer nutritious, safe and Earth-licensed spacecraft for long-distance space exploration.
Food scientists are collaborating on the design of a new food system for Mars that is very different from those used on the International Space Station, a press release from NASA said.
Food in cubes and semi-liquid tubes is a thing of the past. At this point, ISS team members can spoil their favorite pizza. However, the Red Planet food system required a more complex and detailed design.
CENTRAL ALL: Traveling to Mars could affect the brains of Astronauts; Can NASA protect itself from such a situation?
As space explorers begin to become more independent of the Earth, it is important to understand how food can be made while in space and not just taken, food scientists said. They emphasize the essential criteria for that interplanetary food system, as reported by Chron.
Safety – Foods made on the spacecraft and in microgravity are ordered to undergo testing and cleaning to reduce foodborne illnesses.
Sustainability – A space crew on long haul missions to Mars will have provided food or growth that should last for years, while maintaining its nutritional value.
Nutrition – The food system on Mars needs to strike a balance between nutritional value and tasty taste.
Reduction in resources – This food system should offer safe, nutritious and tasty food while reducing resource consumption and waste.
(Photo: NASA via Getty Images) NASA astronaut Scott Kelly gives a thumbs up for food quality at the International Space Station.
These criteria are a challenge for food system design, and the U.S. space agency is on the lookout for ideas that would address these issues through what is known as the Deep Space Food Challenge.
Do you think you are the next big chef to put up safe, nutritious and disposable vessels for a trip to Mars?
NASA is offering a $ 500,000 reward to anyone in the U.S. who could provide the best food system for its Mars mission. The initiative is being coordinated with the Canadian Space Agency to create a new food production system that would require very few resources and produce the least amount of waste. This is to offer the best tasty and nutritious food for long distance travel, according to the NASA website.
Phase 1 of the competition would address food system design on the basis of appropriate nutritional value for the space missions. Phase 2 of the Deep Space Food Challenge would feature a kitchen demonstration. The Canadian Space Agency will host a parallel competition for Canadian citizens, with an independent judging and application process, and an offer of prizes.
This would help NASA in identifying food system requirements and problems that may arise when human missions to the Red Planet or other outer space destinations, the space agency said. Therefore, NASA would overcome these challenges and guarantee the good health and safety of astronauts in their interplanetary observations.
LOVE STORY: NASA’s Mars Stability Rover: Is its arm ready to dig more rocks?
View more news and information about place research on science times