- New study cites food science challenges for NASA missions to Mars. Credit: NASA
A new study has tackled the challenges ahead for astronauts trekking to Mars and beyond – underscoring the need for food to sustain crew members on lengthy space missions.
The food system assessment draws from experts at NASA, Lockheed Martin and North Carolina State University. The work has been published by the Institute of Food Technologists in the Journal of Food Science.
Food science, the study notes, plays a critical role in ensuring that astronauts have safe, healthy and nutritious foods during current missions to space and for sojourns beyond low Earth orbit.
The study explains that food developed for long-duration missions must:
- provide the nutrients and taste acceptability to sustain crew health and performance
- have a shelf life requirement of 3-to-5 years with sustained vitamin delivery
- be safe after cooking and processing in partial gravity
- be formulated and packaged in such a way that the mass and subsequent waste is within the allowable limits of proposed future space vehicles
Gaps and barriers
“If we go to Mars, we need a five year shelf life of food and that means we need to start looking at new technologies to start preserving the food,” said Michele Perchonok, Advanced Food Technology Manager at NASA and one of the study authors.
The new research indicates that there are gaps that present barriers to achieving a food system for long exploration missions.
It is clear, the study authors report, that a balance must be maintained between use of resources — such as power, mass, and crew time — and the safety, nutrition, and acceptability of the food system in order to develop adequate NASA food systems for future missions.
Are you hungry for more information on space food?
Check out a video from the Institute of Food Technologists titled “A Day in the Life of a NASA Food Scientist.”
View the video at http://bit.ly/aT3AiD
By Leonard David