Astronauts are about to experience something that sounds like it’s straight out of a science fiction movie. The European Space Agency (ESA) is working on producing artificial meat in space for astronauts.
The movie “The Martian” was adapted from the book of the same name by Andy Weir and featured Matt Damon in the lead role. The film gained attention for its portrayal of a stranded astronaut’s struggle for survival in space with his crew. Matt Damon’s character had to grow potatoes on Mars to stay alive. Now, the European Space Agency (ESA) is working on growing artificial meat in space for astronauts, bringing a science fiction concept closer to reality.
The ESA is aiming to develop a space meal that offers hope for astronauts. Cultured meat, which is real animal meat grown from stem cells in bioreactors, has been gaining interest in recent years. However, this has also sparked many discussions and debates.
With this new project, scientists aim to provide an alternative that uses fewer natural resources. Nevertheless, the world has not yet been very receptive to this new project. However, scientists believe that this project could increase the potential for sustaining life for astronauts in space. Last year, the European Space Agency (ESA) explored the possibility of cultured meat becoming a protein source that can be produced in situ.
Paolo Corradi, an ESA engineer, explained, “The focus of the project is to exceed the typical two-year shelf life of traditional packaged materials. With this new project, we aim to provide nutritious food for astronauts during long-term missions far from Earth. Given the limited resources in space, growing fresh food on-site will be essential to enhance a mission’s resilience and self-sufficiency. Additionally, this can also provide psychological support to the crew.”
Teams compared the nutritional value of the grown meat with existing protein sources studied in space, including plants and algae. Scientists proposed different meat production methods and bioreactor technologies.
ESA released the results of the research on Monday, indicating that further research and work are still required for space-grown meat to match the taste preferences of astronauts. Nonetheless, the results show promise for this technology.
ESA plans to conduct experiments to understand how cells adapt to varying levels of gravity and radiation. They have prepared a roadmap summarizing the technologies needed and knowledge gaps to be addressed. The space agency will soon begin trials at their facilities.
