Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk want to colonize space. NASA also aims to set foot on Mars.
So what will people eat when they go to space?
Experiments on growing plants in space have been carried out so far. This time, for the first time, animal cells were experimented with for meat production.
In experiments carried out last week, it has the potential to change space travel.
A team of all private sector employees visited the International Space Station for the first time for the experiment conducted by an Israel-based company called Aleph Farms, which works in the field of meat production in the laboratory from animal cells.
But there are those who think that this is not a realistic goal and that artificial meat production in space cannot be a reliable food source.
How is artificial meat produced?
Producing meat by replicating animal cells is a difficult task even on earth. Aleph Farms was the first company to try this out in space.
For this, cells taken from animals are given amino acids and carbohydrates necessary for their growth. The proliferating cells become muscle.
The meat is produced in tanks similar to those used in brewing.
Proponents of this method say that it will be beneficial for the environment and reduce methane emissions from animals.
Why experimenting with production in space?
Zvika Tamari, head of Aleph Farms’ space program, explains that scientists have no idea whether meat production in zero gravity is possible:
“Previous scientific studies have shown that physics and biology can function very differently in a non-gravity environment.
“So no one knows if artificial meat production in space is possible.”
The company therefore sent four astronauts into space on April 8 with a test kit the size of a shoebox on a SpaceX rocket.
The astronauts returned to Earth yesterday with this test kit with them.
The status of the animal cells in the kit will be closely examined in the coming days.
Is it worth a try?
Even if the experiment is successful, it is debatable how useful it will be.
In the world where this technology has been available for years, there is a reason why supermarkets are not stocked with artificial meats.
Despite hundreds of millions of dollars poured into the industry (Leonardo DiCaprio is among the investors of Aleph Farms), it is still very difficult to produce it in large quantities.
One of the reasons for this is that the process requires great hygiene.
“Animal cells reproduce slowly. If bacteria or fungi enter the culture used in production, the whole process is wasted,” says David Humbird, a chemical engineer at the University of Berkeley.
Aleph Farms, on the other hand, thinks that sterilization in outer space will be easier. But in a colony like Mars this could have devastating consequences.
The company stresses that sending food into space is too costly. Although the numbers on the cost of this are relative, the data released by NASA in 2008 shows that it costs around 10 thousand dollars to send a 450 gram cargo to Earth’s orbit.
Sending it to Mars is a much greater cost.
“Mars is millions of kilometers away, so being able to produce food there is a huge advantage,” says Tamari.
Humbird, on the other hand, thinks this will not be helpful:
“You have to feed these cells with foods such as sugar, amino acids and water. The resulting meat will have fewer calories than the calories spent on producing it.
“At best, 25 percent of the calories used will turn into meat. The question is, why would you spend 75 percent of the food to be sent into space in such a production process?”
But there are other factors that affect the picture, too.
One of them is the mental health of astronauts.
Former NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg, who spent five and a half months aboard the International Space Station and is today on the advisory board of Aleph Farms, says food is crucial to the psychology of astronauts:
“Astronaut food comes in white bags, in powder form. You dilute it and consume it.
“When I was in space, I missed flavors like sauteed garlic or olive oil.
“It is very important that such flavors that will remind us of our home are also present in space.”
Nyberg emphasizes that fresh vegetables and fruits are very important for humans to stay away from Earth for years.
If humanity is serious about colonizing Mars, it should consider how it can feed astronauts nutritious, non-perishable, and delicious food.
It’s one thing to prove that meat production in space is possible, it’s another thing to demonstrate that it’s practical and reliable enough to replace transporting food from Earth.
While Aleph Farms has lofty goals, they will first need to ensure that artificial meat can be spread across the globe.