The special ingredient for Mars travel meal prep? Astronaut breath

A NASA-sponsored Deep Space Food Challenge finalist proposes using astronaut breath to create space yeast for meal prep.

The science behind it: Stafford Sheehan’s process turns carbon dioxide into alcohol, which can then be converted into yeast.
* The process mimics photosynthesis, using astronaut breath as a carbon dioxide source.
* The resulting protein shake textured-yeast can be dried and rolled into items such as pasta and tortillas.

Impact on space exploration: Developing food technologies like Sheehan’s can help make missions to Mars and deep space more feasible.
* Packing enough food for long-duration space missions is currently a significant challenge.
* Reducing waste and using fewer resources makes it more realistic for astronauts to embark on these missions.

Benefits on Earth: Similarly to solar energy, Sheehan’s techniques could provide valuable sustainability and climate change benefits.
* His company, Air Co., can produce sustainable aviation fuel from carbon dioxide.
* The technology has the potential to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and help individuals become more energy independent.

View original article on NPR

This summary was created by an AI system. The use of this summary is subject to our Terms of Service.

Contact us about this post

Posted

in

by

Tags:

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *