Space Food Made from Thin Air and Urine

The European Space Agency (ESA) has announced a new "space food" made from thin air and urine, which could be used to sustain astronauts on future missions to the Moon and Mars. This innovative project aims to develop a key resource that will allow for improved autonomy and resilience of human spaceflight, as well as the well-being of astronauts.

What is Solein?

Solein is a highly versatile and fuel-efficient powder made from microbes, air, and electricity through a gas fermentation process. The main component, urea, an organic compound found in urine, provides the essential nitrogen source for protein synthesis in space. On Earth, this process is facilitated by ammonia.

The Importance of Sustainable Food in Space

For humans to carry out long-duration missions on the Moon or even one day fly to Mars, innovative and sustainable solutions are needed to survive with limited supplies. Currently, the International Space Station (ISS) is powered by food produced on Earth and brought to the station, which is fine for low-orbit missions but would be financially and otherwise impractical for long-range flights.

The HOBI-WAN Project

The ESA’s goal is to test whether Solein can be produced on board the ISS as part of a project called HOBI-WAN ("Hydrogen Oxidizing Bacteria In Weightlessness As a source of Nutrition"). The project will focus on developing pee cycling technology on the ground and, if successful, test it in space aboard the ISS.

Challenges and Future Plans

The behavior of gases and liquids in microgravity differs significantly from that on Earth, which can drastically affect the transport of nutrients and gases for the microbes. The team will initially focus on developing sustainable technology on Earth for eight months. If successful, the manufacturing process will then be tested in a microgravity environment on board the ISS. The team hopes that Solein will eventually become a staple diet for astronauts, with the vision that it will be the primary protein of space explorers by 2035.

Conclusion

The development of Solein is a significant step towards sustainable space exploration. With the ability to produce food in space, astronauts will be able to embark on longer missions without the need for resupply from Earth. This innovative technology has the potential to revolutionize the way we approach space travel and exploration.