An international team of scientists have developed a “space salad” that can keep astronauts well-nourished on future missions into deep space.  Th

A scientific salad for astronauts in deep space

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2023-03-18 01:30:02

An international team of scientists have developed a “space salad” that can keep astronauts well-nourished on future missions into deep space.

The salad consists of seven ingredients — soybeans, poppy seeds, barley, kale, peanuts, sunflower seeds, and sweet potatoes, all in carefully measured amounts — that can be grown in small enclosures on a spacecraft and fulfill the nutritional needs of astronauts on long-duration trips.

Researchers from Australia, the U.K., and the U.S. chose the ingredients based on their nutritional value, growth rate, water and space requirements, and the amount of inedible waste produced.

“Mars exploration will be only possible with fresh grown plants [because] food payload for two to three years isn’t possible,” Shu Liang, a doctoral student at the University of Adelaide who led the new research, tells Astronomy.

While the ingredients selected for this space salad are the best options available at this time, the team is now working on selectively breeding them to increase their nutritional value, decrease their required growing space, and increase their ability to quickly grow using hydroponic fertilizers.

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