Scientists suggest a new approach to feeding astronauts in space that doesn’t require a link to Earth. They propose creating edible biomass from microbes and organic compounds found in asteroids. The process uses pyrolysis, where organic material is broken down under high heat without oxygen.
Researchers haven’t tested this with actual asteroid samples yet. However, they say heating organic compounds in carbonaceous chondrites, a type of asteroid rich in organic matter and water, would create hydrocarbons. These could be fed to microbes within the asteroid.
Asteroid-based microbial food production
“When the bacteria finish feeding, they themselves become the food,” according to the New York Times. The study estimates that asteroids like Bennu could produce 50 to 6,550 metric tons of edible biomass.
This would provide enough calories to support 600 to 17,000 astronaut life years, depending on how much organic matter can be converted. Astronauts on the International Space Station currently get food delivered from Earth. But the study notes that “to deeply explore the solar system, it will be necessary to become less reliant on the resupply tether to Earth.”
It’s still unknown how asteroids might be mined and processed in space or if the resulting biomass will be safe to eat.
The study acknowledges that “this approach of using carbon in asteroids to provide a distributed food source for humans appears promising, but there are substantial areas of future work.”
Fortunately, samples from the asteroid Bennu are now available for further research after being returned to Earth in September 2023 by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission.
April Isaacs is a news contributor for DevX.com She is long-term, self-proclaimed nerd. She loves all things tech and computers and still has her first Dreamcast system. It is lovingly named Joni, after Joni Mitchell.
