Image by Robi313, CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0.0), via Wikimedia Commons (cropped)
Travelling to unfamiliar areas requires a lot of thinking ahead. Every responsible explorer should consider the worst possible scenario: medical emergencies, equipment malfunctions, and of course, insufficient means of sustenance. To make sure they don't run out of food, astronauts carry in space with them meals that are enough for the duration of their expedition, and extra food, in case re-supply or evacuation are not possible for a quite lengthy time period.
The dominant food type is pre-packaged, long-shelf-life foods that often sacrifice nutritional value, taste, and texture, for the sake of durability. However, now that we've got our eyes on longer, further missions, and on commercial flights, the need for innovative, next-generation foods has emerged.
The Space Gastronomy Era
Enter the era of space gastronomy: the art and science of preparing, cooking, and consuming food in space! I imagine it as a combination of nutrition science, food technology, engineering, and culinary arts. The role of food as a source of comfort, pleasure, and connection to home would be at the forefront, and astronauts would finally be able to have versatile and satisfying eating experiences.
If, affected by pop culture and sci-fi movies, you are imagining robotic chefs and digital ingredients, you are not far from what space gastronomy will mostly look like! Technology advancements now enable us to print food in 3 dimensions, opening up possibilities for creativity, recycling, and personalisation.
Baking a difference
The variety of foods that are suitable for space travel is very limited. Space food must not need refrigeration or much preparation, must not crumble, must be easy to pack, must be quick to eat, must not cause gas, must not smell too strongly... That means that astronauts have a quite limited menu that can get repetitive during the months they spend in space. In addition, this food is very different from what they have been eating on earth. Not only the processing makes it unrecognisable, but also traditional ethnic foods are not exactly included in the available items, leaving many astronauts vulnerable to homesickness.
3D printers in space would be able to create food items that bear a closer resemblance to earthly cuisine. The range of ingredients and flavours would expand, as it would be easier to store them. On-demand processing would also multiply the possible combinations. Thus, astronauts could experiment with different ingredients, textures, and cooking techniques to create dishes that mimic their favourite dishes, while covering the dietary requirements of long-term space missions.
Doughnut Waste Food
Next-generation 3D-printed space foods will make sustainability and recycling a priority. Systems that are able to repurpose waste into ingredients for food production, the so-called "closed-loop systems", will be a game-changer in space exploration. 3D printing offers a solution that can minimize waste and maximize resource utilization by repurposing organic waste and by-products into printable materials.
Pear-fect For You
But perhaps the most exiting aspect of space gastronomy is the potential for customisation and personalisation. Astronauts already have pretty individualised meal plans based on their unique nutritional needs and preferences, but in the future this can be taken one step further with the integration of 3D printers. The precision 3D printers are capable of can be paired with biometric monitoring and analysis creating food items with the optimal nutritional profile for each crew member. And why stop there? The composition and distribution of ingredients can be tweaked to create custom flavour profile that match individual preferences.
Of course, this journey is not without its challenges. We have to achieve the necessary Technological Readiness Level, we have to establish regulatory frameworks that would guarantee safety, and we would even have to address psychological factors that could stand in the way of food acceptance. But there's a lot to gain - not only for space travellers, but also for people on Earth. The innovations developed for space food could revolutionize food production and sustainability, addressing pressing issues like food security, biodiversity loss, and climate change.
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