NASA (The National Aeronautics and Space Administration), in cooperation with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), was created Contest It is called related to space and food Food challenge in deep space. From now on you can participate and the prize is not easy, amounting to 500,000 dollars (about 412,000 euros).
This amount of money will be given Whoever offers the best idea to grow foods like potatoes, carrots, lettuce and tomatoes in space. In the Web page The idea can be submitted to the contest, with a period that has already started and will remain open Until next July 30.
“Seeks this challenge Motivate teams to develop new technologies and / or systems for food production that do not need to meet all the nutritional requirements of future crews, But they can contribute significantly and integrate into an overall diet, “they explain.
The goal is to feed the astronauts for a period of three years
Before taking off and traveling outside the Earth’s atmosphere, it isShips or ferries are equipped with everything that their crew needs on board, and that includes food. Inside some trays there is food and everything you need to eat. They also carry small packages with dried dishes.
However, These foods are rare, you cannot take too much of themAnd, depending on the duration of the trip, you should ration the food more. Hence, with this competition the goal is to find Formula to feed a crew of four astronauts on a three-year space mission.
Also, if the winning idea succeeds in space cultivation, They can also be used on land that is not suitable for cultivation at firstAnd thus solve a double problem.
You will have to wait Until September to find out the winning initiative And their makers. To get there and win the prize, they must pass first The first stage of the competition, in which up to 20 teams, who had the best result, could win $ 25,000. Everyone. Then, They will move to the second stage, where the final sum here will reach half a million euros.