What will we eat when we live in space? It looks like a science fiction question, yet the answer could come from Italy. Is called Moon rice The project just presented in Antwerp, Belgium, during the International Conference of Society for Experimental Biology. Among the many scientific initiatives shown from 8 to 11 July, this was undoubtedly one of the most visionary.
Behind the idea is theItalian Space Agency (ASI)which is working to cultivate rice in spacewith the aim of making the life of man possible, one day beyond our planet. A company that looks to the future, but that starts from a concrete need: nourishing the astronauts engaged in in a healthy, sustainable and human way Missions more and longer and distant.
Rice in space is not just food
Today astronauts eat only dehydrated or pre -cooked foods: fresh rice would be a healthier and more rewarding alternative, also from a psychological point of view. On board the International Space Station, the food is often not very inviting: envelopes of freeze -dried soups, pasty snacks and pre -cooked dishes that offer neither flavor nor variety. For short missions he can go, but when it comes to long journeys – let’s think about Mars or the Moon – You need something more nutritious, fresh and human.
For this the ASI is investing on crops suitable for space. Rice is a strategic choice: it contains carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins and antioxidantsand is relatively easy to cultivate. But it’s not just about nutrition. As he explains Marta del Biancoplant biologist of the ASI:
Driving plants growth has a positive effect on mental well -being. Seeing something growing, taking care of it, gives a sense of normality that can make the difference in an isolated and difficult environment like space.
Italian scientists are selecting changed varieties only 10 centimeters high. But more proteins are also used to replace meat, which is not sustainable in space.
Cultivating the rice into space, however, does not mean taking any plant and bringing it to orbit. It is much more complicated. Italian scholars are trying to create one “Super-Nana” varietyjust 10 centimeters high but Extremely productive and nutritiouscapable of survive in extreme environmentslike microgravity or space radiation.
The project involves three Italian university excellence:
Another goal is to Increase the protein rice contentgiven that Meat in space is not very sustainable: you need too many animals, too many resources and too much space. The rice of the future, therefore, will have to really feed and partially replace animal proteins.
To understand how the plant behaves in the absence of gravity, laboratory experiments are already being conducted, turning the plants continuously to simulate the space environment. The results so far are encouraging.
Growing is possible, but cooking no
One of the main limits remains the kitchen: in space a pot of water cannot be boiled. And even if he was very able to grow the perfect rice for space, a concrete question remains: How do we cook it? To date, a fundamental step to prepare a simple risotto.
Cultivating is a huge step, but the kitchen is still an unsolved problem. We cannot make a risotto with astronauts until we find a solution.
In short, Science is making giant stepsbut there are many small (and large) obstacles to overcome to transform the dream of space rice in reality.
