What will we eat on the Moon? The food is literally out of this world (2024)

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What will we eat on the Moon? The food is literally out of this world (1)

By Laura Hall25th May 2024

The Moon may be the final frontier for mankind, but what will we eat when we get there? Pasta and protein bars made out of thin air are just the beginning.

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Space fever is approaching at warp speed. In the next two years, Nasa plans to send astronauts back to the Moon via its Artemis programme; the International Space Station (ISS), designed to orbit for 15 years but now hitting its 26th year in space, will soon be replaced; and scientists are looking seriously into the possibility of manned deep space missions. Add to that a proliferation of tourism projects rocketing deep-pocketed individuals up to the edge of space and it begs one question for a food writer like me: what will we eat when we get there?

"Food is something that keeps astronauts sane," says Dr Sonja Brungs, astronaut operations deputy lead at the European Space Agency. "Good food, proper food with a lot of variety, tailored to the needs of the individual astronauts is crucial for a successful deep space mission. I think people underestimate how important it is."

Currently, astronauts are given small food pouches containing prepared meals. These meals are made by specialised food-production companies and then freeze-dried, dehydrated or thermostabilised. Astronauts add water to heat or cool the meals to eat; they can also bring along a special meal that reminds them of home (this too has to be carefully formulated and thermostablised).

There are some no-gos: anything that crumbs, like bread, can't be taken into space as the crumbs can easily become airborne in the low-gravity environment, meaning they could be inhaled or get into vital equipment. Salt is limited, due to the fact that the body stores sodium differently in space, leading to accelerated osteoporosis, and alcohol is also not permitted as it affects the waste water recycling system in the ISS.

What will we eat on the Moon? The food is literally out of this world (2)

ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen experimented with making chocolate mousse on his last trip (Credit: ESA/Nasa)

"Novelty is definitely an issue," says Brungs. "Astronauts who are in space for just six months miss crunchiness and texture. It is really important for mental wellbeing to have a variety of textures, and especially for deep space missions, having a variety of foods to eat."

In 2021, Nasa launched a Deep Space Food Challenge to discover new ways to create food in space with limited resources producing minimal waste, while also providing safe, nutritious and tasty food that can perform on a long-term deep space mission.

We make food out of thin air, quite literally - Artuu Luukanen

Solar Foods, based in Helsinki, is one of the eight companies that has reached the challenge's final phase. Their remarkable concept: using space waste to create protein.

"We make food out of thin air, quite literally," says Artuu Luukanen, Solar Foods' senior vice president in Space and Defence. His company discovered an edible microbe in the Finnish countryside that grows by feeding on a mixture of carbon dioxide, hydrogen and oxygen. The result is a source of protein from bacteria. The protein can be blended with a range of flavours or textures to create various kinds of nutritious food, such as pasta, protein bars, alternative meats and even an egg replacement

"We started thinking about space food because in any space habitat, you have two key waste gases available: hydrogen and carbon dioxide," Luukanen said. "So what we are talking about here is really not just a food manufacturing technology for space, but something that will be an integral part of the environmental control and life support system."

What will we eat on the Moon? The food is literally out of this world (3)

The ISS has its own tiny vegetable garden on board where astronauts study plant growth in microgravity (Credit: Nasa/Amanda Griffin)

Solar Foods' protein can be turned into a paste or powder and blended with flour and more typical food ingredients to create protein enriched foods such as pasta, protein bars and even chocolate. Experiments are continuing to discover whether it can be mixed with oils and turned into something with a texture of a steak, using a 3D printer.

Fresh food is also a consideration: while vitamin tablets can help, astronauts need fresh produce, and experiments continue into how to grow vegetables in this unique zero-gravity, zero-sunlight environment. The ISS has its own tiny vegetable garden on board, known as Veggie, where astronauts study plant growth in microgravity.

Back on Earth, Interstellar Lab on Merritt Island, Florida, has developed a modular bioregenerative system for producing microgreens, vegetables, mushrooms and even insects; the company is also a finalist in the Nasa Deep Space Food Challenge, along with Enigma of the Cosmos in Melbourne, Australia, a firm working on a way to grow microgreens efficiently in space.

One thing that seems likely is that the future of space food will include fungi. Three of the six finalists in the Nasa Deep Space Food Challenge are working on ideas around fungi, including Mycorena of Gothenburg, Sweden, which has developed a system that uses a combination of microalgae and fungi to produce a mycoprotein (a type of protein that comes from a fungus, often used in alternative meat products).

What will we eat on the Moon? The food is literally out of this world (4)

ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer holds a package of space food from his home region of Saarland (Credit: ESA/Nasa)

"Fungi is very versatile," explains Carlos Otero, who works in the R&D team at Mycorena. "It can grow on different substrates, it grows fast and you can design a small and efficient system capable of producing enough food for the crew. It is also very robust, resistant to radiation and easy to store and transport."

More like this:How China is creating new foods in space

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This space food is all in a closed loop circular system, with an end product that can be 3D printed to create a food a little like the texture of a chicken fillet. An added benefit is that their protein source contains all the essential amino acids the human body needs to function.

As opportunities grow for private companies to enter the space race, so too do opportunities for private chefs. Chef Rasmus Munk of Michelin-starred restaurant Alchemist in Copenhagen is among many set for take off. Munk recently announced a partnership with SpaceVIP to cater an immersive dining experience on the private Space Perspective's Spaceship Neptune, where tickets cost £397,000 ($495,000) per person for a six-hour trip to the edge of space.

He's one of many chefs seeing the potential in catering for deep-pocketed tourists on commercial space flights. But while it's easy to see these developments as only for the very, very few who can afford such a trip (or make it as an astronaut), the development of space food is not just about what we'll eat in zero gravity, but what we may end up eating on our own planet. The Nasa Deep Space Food Challenge was also designed to create advanced food systems that will benefit us on Earth, enabling new avenues for food production in extreme environments and resource-scarce areas.

What will we eat on the Moon? The food is literally out of this world (5)

Chef Rasmus Munk recently announced a partnership with SpaceVIP to cater an immersive dining experience on the edge of space (Credit: Claes Bech Poulsen)

"We are facing big challenges when it comes to climate change, particularly regarding droughts that influence our food production capabilities," says Luukanen. "Space puts this into an ultimate test, where we utilise the resources that are considered waste from other activities and turn that into a value-added product. It's a philosophy of circular economy. Earth is the best spaceship that we've ever been on board, and it has limited resources."

Our project is working towards resource efficiency on Earth as well as space - Kristina Karlsson

For Kristina Karlsson, head of R&D at Mycorena, the same principle applies: "Our project is working towards resource efficiency on Earth as well as space," she says. "There are almost no emissions, and almost no waste. Space is just an extreme environment where you can challenge the development of this kind of project: if it works there, it's going to work on Earth."

The third phase of Nasa's Deep Space Food Challenge is underway this summer and aims to further test how these projects could work in space-like conditions. It's something to watch closely: while it's near certain that these novel foods will form part of an astronaut's nutritional profile in space, it also looks likely they will influence how we eat on Earth in the future too.

BBC.com'sWorld's Table "smashes the kitchen ceiling" by changing the way the world thinks about food, through the past, present and future.

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What will we eat on the Moon? The food is literally out of this world (2024)

FAQs

What will they eat on the Moon? ›

Currently, astronauts are given small food pouches containing prepared meals. These meals are made by specialized food-production companies and then freeze-dried, dehydrated or thermostabilised.

What did people eat on the Moon? ›

The meat was a constant on various space missio... The first meal eaten by man on the moon consisted of bacon squares coated with gelatin to combat crumbs, peaches, sugar cookie cubes, pineapple grapefruit drink and coffee.

What we will eat in space? ›

Types of space food

These foods are made using techniques such as freeze drying and spray drying. In addition to items such as rice and noodles, this category also includes powdered beverages such as green tea and soft drinks. Rehydratable foods from other countries include cereal, shrimp co*cktails, and coffee.

How are you eating food in space and eating on the Earth different? ›

The primary difference between space food and Earth food is the preparation method. Space food preparation varies with the food type. Some foods can be eaten in their natural form, such as brownies and fruit. Other foods are dehydrated on Earth and require adding water in space.

Why can't you drink the water on the moon? ›

"It is very likely that water exists on the moon, but it contains contaminants," the Canadian Space Agency wrote in its briefing for participants. That statement is based on data from a deliberate crash of a NASA spacecraft, LCROSS, into the icy south polar region of the moon on Oct. 9, 2009.

What is moon favorite food? ›

The moon loves rice, melons, coconut, cucumber, milk and dairy products, corn, water, beer, juicy fruits, and stewed fruit.

How will we grow food on the moon? ›

In theory, the regolith would be passed through a sorter to extract and process valuable mineral nutrients, which would then be dissolved in water and fed into a hydroponic greenhouse where plants grow vertically on the moon's surface.

Have we grown food in space? ›

The first growth test of crops in the Advanced Plant Habitat aboard the International Space Station yielded great results. Arabidopsis seeds – small flowering plants related to cabbage and mustard – grew for about six weeks, and dwarf wheat for five weeks.

What did astronauts eat in 1969? ›

Some of the space food that was scheduled to be carried on the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission included (from left to right): chicken and vegetables, beef hash, and beef and gravy. In 1969, Charles Bourland flew to Houston to interview for a food scientist position at NASA's Johnson Space Center.

What is the super food for space? ›

What do the inhabitants aboard the International Space Station munch on to stay fit in zero-gravity? The answer is 'magical blue-green algae. ' Commonly known as spirulina, the blue-green micro algae is one of the most nutrient-rich foods.

How do astronauts shower in space? ›

The astronauts wipe their body clean by using a wet towel, and wash their hair by using waterless shampoo. Since water does not flow in a zero-gravity environment, the astronauts cannot wash their hands under a faucet as you do on Earth. So, there are no sinks or showers inside the space shuttle.

Why can't you eat bread in space? ›

Living and working in a microgravity environment requires culinary ingenuity and creativity. Did you know that bread is not allowed on the International Space Station (ISS)? This is because it produces crumbs that become unmanageable when floating about the space station. The solution: Tortillas!

Why can't we eat regular food in space? ›

Without gravity, food aromas waft away before making it to the nose. When you cannot smell very well you can't taste very well. And because of the fluid shifting to the head, astronauts' nose will be stuffy. Astronauts have to maintain a balanced and healthy diet that prevents them from losing weight.

How do toilets work in space? ›

How do space toilets work? In the absence of gravity, space toilets use air flow to pull urine and feces away from the body and into the proper receptacles. A new feature of the UWMS is the automatic start of air flow when the toilet lid is lifted, which also helps with odor control.

How do astronauts eat on the moon? ›

The Apollo Program continued to use freeze-dried food and powdered beverages, but with the luxury of hot water if desired. These meals, similar to “Meals, Ready to Eat” (MREs) used by United States armed forces, are still used today, but with improved taste, texture, and options.

Why is there no meat on a full moon? ›

It is believed that eating meat on this day can lead to negative karma and that avoiding it can help purify the body and mind. However, there is no scientific basis for these beliefs and no evidence that suggests that eating non-vegetarian food on full moon days has any negative...

What junk is left on the moon? ›

Some of it is waste from the trip that the astronauts dumped when they got to their destination. Aside from trash—from food packaging to wet wipes—nearly 100 packets of human urine and excrement have been discarded. The Apollo astronauts also dumped tools and television equipment that they no longer needed.

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