NASA announced its looking into using 3-D printing to create space food.
NASA has awarded a Small Business Innovation Research contract to Systems and Materials Research Consultancy of Austin, Texas. The firm will study the possibility of using the technology to make food in space during long space missions.
The contract is for a Phase I $125,000 study, which may or may not develop into an actual concept. It may result in a phase II study, which will still be years away from being tested on actual space flights.
NASA hopes to take manned trips farther into space then ever before over the next few decades. There are plans to redirect an asteroid so that astronauts can explore it, and even a tentative trip to mars expected in the future.
NASA needs to figure out how to feed the astronauts on their long trips away from home. Their Advanced Food Technology program is looking into ways to make food that meets safety and nutritional requirements, while using the least amount of resources and crew time as possible. Refridgeration in space would require a huge amount of resources, so space missions generally rely on prepackaged food that is shelf-friendly.
The current space-food would not meet the nutritional requirements or five-year shelf life that a deep space mission, such as a trip to Mars, would require. Today's food is selected before the mission even takes off, and astronauts don't have the option to prepare meals themselves or personalize their own recipes. On a longer space mission, this could be dangerous because astronauts may stop eating enough to meet their nutritional requirements.
3-D printing may provide the ability to deliver a variety of time-efficient food to astronauts on long missions and could ensure nutrient stability.
"NASA selected this proposal because the research team, subcontractors and consultants included premier food rheology and flavor expertise that would be required for a novel product development system," NASA stated.
Read the Systems and Materials Research Consultancy proposal abstract here.
