Astronauts will cook food in space
New Delhi: According to a study, scientists have found a new way to ensure the safety of food items for astronauts going for long periods in big space missions. According to the study published in The International Journal of Astrobiology, space travelers can use asteroids to meet their food and nutrition requirements. Scientists are finding a new way to produce food in space by using microorganisms to convert carbon from rocks in space, reports said.
Astronauts will not eat rocks
This idea could solve the problem of limited food supply for astronauts. Be patient, while the astronauts won’t be eating the rocks, the researchers’ goal is to convert the carbon from the asteroid into edible forms. The process of carrying dry food in space is limited and there is no possibility of farming developing in space right now. Because dry food options are restricted, scientists have made a new discovery. Joshua Pierce, engineering professor at Western University, has talked about using bacteria with asteroids to make them edible. Plastic waste should also be used in this entire process.
Researchers at Michigan Technological University, inspired by a US Defense Department project, conducted a study and reported that plastic waste can be broken down and converted into edible food by using bacteria to create nutritious biomass.
Know how food will be prepared in space
In related research, Annemiek Wagen of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam found that microorganisms can grow on the material of meteorites that have fallen to Earth. Using such data, Dr. Pearce and his team focused on the asteroid Bennu. In such an experiment, carbon material could keep astronauts alive for 600 years, even with inefficient microbial breakdown. However, this is a significant challenge. Extensive toxicity testing is required to ensure that the biomass produced is safe for astronauts to eat.
Dr. Wagen commented about the future of the project and said that there are still significant challenges ahead. Extensive toxicity tests are necessary to confirm the safety of this biomass. “It’s still a long way to go.”