New York: NASA has determined to make the lives of their astronauts easier who have to be in space for longer duration, especially while exploring the red planet Mars, and feel the scarcity of nutrition and food. The US Space agency has found out a highly efficient team of researchers that will help in making the human waste edible.
Out of the eight groups of researchers belonging to different universities, NASA finally chose and funded the one headed by Mark Blenner, the Clemson University of South Carolina, to come up with great project and solutions to turn human litter into edible items that can serve as food for astronauts working on long-term projects in space.
Mark’s team will receive as much as $200,000 per year for three consecutive years for completing this project.
Blenner’s project includes preparing yeast out of human muck such as urine and exhaled CO2, which can be used to create omega 3 fatty acids; its nutritional value being known by almost everyone will help astronauts survive for long aboard space.
As per Blenner, it will help keep their skin, hair and heart safe. This yeast once genetically modified can be used to produce polymers as well as plastics.
Nitrogen available in urine and fatty acids obtained from Carbon will aid in the growth of yeast. Once the yeast is produced using these materials, turning human waste products into Omega3s and plastics won’t be impossible.
Steve Jurczyk, earlier Center Director at NASA’s Research Center in Hampton and Associate Administrator of this Mission, is extremely excited about the fresh researchers providing fuel for the mission’s engine.
Latest reports suggested, as a better alternative to this experiment, the middle as well as high school South Floridian scholars have decided to assist NASA determine the edible plants that can be grown easily on the space station.
With the help of Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden, the students will bring about a simulation of the condition available on space and test which all plants, other than red romaine lettuce, the first ever plant harvested by astronauts in space, can grow in space.
Gioia Massa, the scientist of NASA project, seems to be particularly excited about this students’ take on for the consequences of the test carried by them could help NASA while exploring the red planet, Mars too, which, as per NASA mission, humans will be able to land on and inhabit by 2030.
