4 ms·

On-demand nutrient production system for long-duration space missions

25 points by namanyayg 3y ago

ugh123 3y ago
Highly skeptical when I read these two statements: > ...has solved this problem by using genetic engineering to create microbially-based food > ...and their ambient shelf life on the International Space Station (ISS) has now been demonstrated out to 3.9 years
- JumpCrisscross 3y ago
  Why? That is sufficient time for a Mars mission.
  - ugh123 3y ago
    Mars is not mentioned once in that article. and when a "science" site uses the word "solved" i'd expect a bit more info on what that means compared to other methods (freeze dried, etc) which it does not mention. and which part of the Mars mission would we be talking about? The ride there? Or a stay longer including a trip back which may be a further distance between Earth and Mars than when they left.
    - deleted 3y ago
      [deleted]
    - adrian_b 2y ago
      In this article they mention only the production of some vitamins, presumably because they degrade faster during storage. These could be used only together with proteins and fats stored since the departure from Earth. Now there already exist genetically-engineered strains of the fungus Trichoderma, which can produce either whey protein (beta-lactoglobulin) or egg-white protein (ovalbumin), from low-grade sources of nitrogen and organic carbon. There have been recently news about a startup which attempts to mass-produce substitute proteins for the food industry by this method. I expect that for longer missions such fungal cultures for protein production will also become necessary (possibly recycling the nitrogen from urine, which will reduce the amount of stored food). Also the highly unsaturated fatty acids degrade faster during storage, so a culture of the fungus-like organism Schizochytrium, which is already widely used for the industrial production of DHA and EPA for nutritional supplements, might also become necessary for longer missions.
aaron695 3y ago
[dead]
sharpshadow 2y ago
That’s great! In a future scenario we will be able to create microorganisms out of the digital stored information and cultivate them on demand. Analysing the subject finding out what he needs creating the necessary microorganisms and cultivate them in the needed amount.

25 points by namanyayg 3y ago

Highly skeptical when I read these two statements: > ...has solved this problem by using genetic engineering to create microbially-based food > ...and their ambient shelf life on the International Space Station (ISS) has now been demonstrated out to 3.9 years

JumpCrisscross 3y ago
Why? That is sufficient time for a Mars mission.
- ugh123 3y ago
  Mars is not mentioned once in that article. and when a "science" site uses the word "solved" i'd expect a bit more info on what that means compared to other methods (freeze dried, etc) which it does not mention. and which part of the Mars mission would we be talking about? The ride there? Or a stay longer including a trip back which may be a further distance between Earth and Mars than when they left.
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
  - adrian_b 2y ago
    In this article they mention only the production of some vitamins, presumably because they degrade faster during storage. These could be used only together with proteins and fats stored since the departure from Earth. Now there already exist genetically-engineered strains of the fungus Trichoderma, which can produce either whey protein (beta-lactoglobulin) or egg-white protein (ovalbumin), from low-grade sources of nitrogen and organic carbon. There have been recently news about a startup which attempts to mass-produce substitute proteins for the food industry by this method. I expect that for longer missions such fungal cultures for protein production will also become necessary (possibly recycling the nitrogen from urine, which will reduce the amount of stored food). Also the highly unsaturated fatty acids degrade faster during storage, so a culture of the fungus-like organism Schizochytrium, which is already widely used for the industrial production of DHA and EPA for nutritional supplements, might also become necessary for longer missions.

aaron695 3y ago

[dead]

sharpshadow 2y ago

That’s great! In a future scenario we will be able to create microorganisms out of the digital stored information and cultivate them on demand. Analysing the subject finding out what he needs creating the necessary microorganisms and cultivate them in the needed amount.