What Will We Eat on Mars?

If you’re fascinated by the idea of humans traveling through space and curious about how it all works, you’ve come to the right place.

In this article, we explore the challenges and innovations in space food technology that make it possible for astronauts to eat well, even during a journey to Mars.

Do you remember when, in the 90s, people thought the future of food would be in pills and tubes? A real absurdity, and I say this as a futurist in human nutrition. After the first space missions, astronauts rebelled against the terrible food served onboard, and from there, technology began to develop highly efficient solutions to overcome the immense challenges of feeding humans on long space missions.

The Challenge of Space Nutrition

Traveling to Mars presents unique challenges, especially when it comes to food. Astronauts need a diet that is safe, nutritious, and enjoyable for extended missions. Additionally, the food must have a long shelf life and be easy to prepare with the limited resources available in space. Traditional methods of food preservation, such as refrigeration, are often impractical, making advanced food technologies crucial.

We often think that fresh food is the best solution for humans, that it is the richest in nutrients and environmentally friendly. However, this is not necessarily true.

Of course, we all love fresh foods, but with soil increasingly depleted of nutrients, this food doesn't always have all the vitamins it should. Unfortunately, it also causes immense waste because a good portion spoils from field to table.

It’s a different way of looking at food production.

Space Food Technology

NASA has significantly improved the quality of space food over the decades. Today, cargo ships transport a variety of appetizing dishes to resupply the International Space Station (ISS), unlike the early days of the human space program when space food consisted of cubes and semi-liquids in tubes. However, the challenges and requirements for designing a food system for Mars are very different from those for the ISS.

The Importance of Variety

One of the most critical factors for maintaining astronaut health and morale is variety. Eating the same meals repeatedly can lead to "menu fatigue," reducing overall food intake and potentially causing nutritional deficiencies. NASA's Advanced Food Technology team works tirelessly to ensure that astronauts have a varied menu with different flavors and textures.

Crew members enjoy a Friday night pizza in August 2019. From left are astronauts Christina Koch, Luca Parmitano, and Nick Hague with cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Alexander Skvortsov.
NASA

Lessons from the International Space Station (ISS)

On the ISS, astronauts rely on a combination of thermostabilized and freeze-dried foods. These methods ensure that the food remains safe and nutritious during long missions. Fresh foods are a rarity, usually arriving with resupply missions. Learning from these experiences, NASA aims to include a component of fresh food in future Mars missions, potentially grown onboard the spacecraft or on the Martian surface.

Growing Food in Space

Growing food in space is a crucial area of research. NASA has conducted experiments on the ISS with leafy greens and plans to expand research to other crops. The ability to grow fresh food on Mars could significantly improve astronauts' diets, providing not only nutritional benefits but also psychological comfort. We are human beings and need comfort to live in extreme conditions like those imposed by long space missions. Once we leave for Mars, there’s no turning back.

Key Criteria for a Mars Food System

In a paper published in The Journal of Nutrition, NASA scientists Grace Douglas, Sara Zwart, and Scott Smith highlight the general criteria for a potential food system for exploratory missions to Mars:

• Safety: The space station's food system is tested and processed on Earth to ensure the food is safe for astronauts. Food grown onboard the spacecraft and in microgravity could interact with microbes present in the spacecraft’s atmosphere, necessitating resources for cleaning and testing to reduce the risk of foodborne illnesses.
• Stability: Crews will not have the luxury of calling home to resupply food during a multi-year, round-trip mission to Mars. Consequently, the nutrition and quality of the Mars food system must be stable for the duration of the mission.
• Palatability: It is equally important to ensure that food on a Mars mission is enjoyable to consume. Otherwise, astronauts might not eat enough to maintain their health and well-being.
• Nutrition: The Mars food system must provide food that is as nutritious as it is delicious. To function properly, the human body requires a handful of essential nutrients that must be absorbed from food. Failing to fulfill any of these nutritional requirements can lead to deficiencies causing various health problems.
• Resource Minimization: Resources such as water, energy, and space are limited in a spacecraft. The Mars food system must provide safe, nutritious, and palatable food while minimizing resource consumption and waste production.
• Variety: The Mars food system must offer a variety of foods to prevent astronauts from getting tired of eating the same things. "Menu fatigue" can lower crew morale and cause a decrease in food intake, leading to health issues.
• Reliability: Another major concern for growing food is that if it doesn’t grow as expected and the crew depends on it, insufficient food could become a very serious issue during missions.
• Usability: The Mars food system must allow crews to prepare meals with ease, enabling them to focus on mission-critical tasks.
• Space-Ready Equipment: Astronauts aboard the space station prepare meals using heat or by adding water. The Mars food system will require new food preparation equipment that meets safety and spaceflight requirements.

As we prepare for human missions to Mars, developing reliable and nutritious food systems is essential. Innovations in space food technology, such as those used in NASA’s Deep Space Food Challenge, are paving the way for future exploration. These advancements ensure that astronauts can stay healthy and perform at their best, even millions of miles from Earth.

Resources

For more insights, listen to Episode 164 of "Houston We Have a Podcast," where Dr. Grace Douglas discusses the intricacies of food technology for a trip to Mars. Are you as passionate about space as we are? Visit the official NASA Johnson Space Center podcast page to explore more about human spaceflight and the exciting work being done to send humans to the Moon and Mars.

https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/the-menu-for-mars-designing-a-deep-space-food-system/