The Food of Space Travel Could Be Based on Rocks

Question

In an article from The New York Times, they talk about how scientists are looking at new ways to get astronauts the nutrients they need for extended space travel, As the current freeze-dried food does not have the calorie requirements to sustain the astronauts on "long-haul journey's". The claim is that the bacteria we've been using to break down plastics on earth could theoretically also be used to break down and eat the carbon found on asteroids.

Comments

This is an interesting claim. However, I am a little skeptical about the possibility of using rocks as a food source in space. I would want to see the types of rocks that would be consumed and the nutrients that comes with it. I do like how you included the source that you found with this claim. It makes it a lot more credible instead of just reading a false claim with no evidence provided. It would be good to know where New York Times got the original information from.

Answer 1

I couldn’t find anything about astronaut eating rocks. I did find most sources are talking about turning plastic into edible food. In space so they could still have something to eat. I thought it was an interesting topic to hear what others have to say about the nutritions for astronauts.

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/science/asteroid-may-become-new-wonder-food-for-astronauts-claims-new-study/articleshow/114006613.cms?from=mdr

Comments

I like that this fact check was straight to the point and that you included a helpful link. It shows in the link "This concept doesn’t imply that astronauts will be eating actual space rocks. Instead, the study proposes a process in which carbon from asteroids is extracted and converted into an edible form, providing a much-needed alternative to current space food solutions." Which directly proves the title to be partially incorrect.