NASA challenges public to make ‘deep space food’

Science: The challenge began in 2021 and has so far attracted more than 300 teams from 32 countries. The effort is also split between NASA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). Winners were selected during the first two phases of the competition, and the final phase, Phase 3, began in September 2023. Four U.S. teams were awarded $50,000 each and invited to compete in the third and final phase of the competition, during which they had to build a full-scale model of their food production system and demonstrate how it works. Phase 3 was hosted by the Methuselah Foundation and Ohio State University; for two months, teams tested and demonstrated their technology on the university’s campus in Columbus, Ohio. During this period, key milestones had to be crossed, including taste, safety, sensory testing, and harvest volume. Each team had a group of Ohio State students, known as “Simunauts”, who were in charge of the process during an eight-week period and gathering information to present to the judging panel.