Crops grown without sunlight could help feed astronauts bound for Mars
Riverside, California— For the first astronauts to visit Mars, what to eat on their 3-year mission will be one of the most critical questions. It’s not just a matter of taste. According to one recent estimate, a crew of six would require an estimated 10,000 kilograms of food for the trip. NASA—which plans to send people to Mars within 2 decades—could stuff a spacecraft with prepackaged meals and launch additional supplies to the Red Planet in advance for the voyage home. But even that wouldn’t completely solve the problem. Micronutrients, including many vitamins, break down over months and will need to be synthesized en route. And food isn’t just a source of calories, says Jennifer Fogarty, chief science officer at the Translational Research Institute for...