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

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 human-crewed 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. Specialized food-production companies make these meals and freeze-dried, dehydrated, or thermostabilized. 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 thermostabilized).

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

Looking ahead, the future of space food is expanding with innovative solutions. Scientists are developing sustainable food sources like 3D-printed meals and cultivating crops in controlled environments. These advancements aim to provide astronauts with fresh produce, enhancing their nutrition and psychological well-being on long missions.

In essence, the journey to the Moon and beyond will not just be about survival but thriving with various nutritious and enjoyable foods. As space exploration advances, so will our culinary horizons, ensuring astronauts are well-fed and content in the vast expanse of space.

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

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 human-crewed 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. Specialized food-production companies make these meals and freeze-dried, dehydrated, or thermostabilized. 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 thermostabilized).

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

Looking ahead, the future of space food is expanding with innovative solutions. Scientists are developing sustainable food sources like 3D-printed meals and cultivating crops in controlled environments. These advancements aim to provide astronauts with fresh produce, enhancing their nutrition and psychological well-being on long missions.

In essence, the journey to the Moon and beyond will not just be about survival but thriving with various nutritious and enjoyable foods. As space exploration advances, so will our culinary horizons, ensuring astronauts are well-fed and content in the vast expanse of space. The ultimate goal is not just sustenance but also maintaining morale and mental health, which are crucial for the success of long-duration missions.

One particularly fascinating development comes from a team that has proposed using space waste to create protein. By recycling and transforming waste products into edible protein, they hope to provide astronauts with a sustainable and efficient food source. This concept not only addresses the issue of food supply but also contributes to waste management in space, making long-term missions more viable.

As we prepare for new frontiers, the culinary aspect of space travel continues to evolve, promising a future where astronauts can enjoy a diverse and nutritious diet, no matter how far from Earth they venture.

“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 carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and oxygen. The result is a source of protein from bacteria. This protein can be blended with various flavors or textures to create multiple kinds of nutritious food, such as pasta, protein bars, alternative meats, and even 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 not just a food manufacturing technology for space, but something that will be an integral part of the environmental control and life support system.”

Solar Foods’ protein can be turned into a paste or powder and blended with flour and other 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 the 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 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 regenerative 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 mycoprotein (a type of protein that comes from a fungus, often used in alternative meat products).

“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.”

As space exploration advances, the culinary possibilities will continue to expand, ensuring astronauts survive and thrive. These innovations will help maintain morale and health on long missions, providing a variety of nutritious and enjoyable foods to sustain life in the final frontier.