Posted on 01/31/2018 1:27:08 PM PST by Red Badger
We might sometimes talk about eating crap on a night in, but that’s nothing compared to the more literal crap future astronauts could well find themselves chowing down on. That’s thanks to researchers at Penn State University, who have been using a research grant from NASA to develop technology for breaking down solid and liquid waste, and transforming it into food that’s hygienic and safe for humans — albeit something you probably won’t be serving at a dinner party anytime soon. The resulting foodstuff is high in both protein and fat, and apparently not dissimilar to savory British sandwich spread, Marmite.
“This is not the typical research direction for my laboratory, but among other things we do work with unusual microorganisms,” Christopher House, professor of geosciences at Penn State, told Digital Trends. “In 2009, NASA had a call for proposals for educational research projects that advance the topic of space colonization. Lisa Steinberg, who is an environmental engineer, and I proposed to that call the general concept here of coupling anaerobic digestion to microbial growth of non-pathogenic microbes.”
The proof-of-concept system the Penn State researchers built involves sending human waste through a fixed-film, plug-through anaerobic reactor which converts the organic matter into methane and carbon dioxide. The reactor uses a plastic media with a high surface area-to-volume ratio, and is typically used in aquariums and ponds to treat ammonium from fish waste.
“In our reactor, this plastic media provided a surface for the bacteria to attach so the waste material could flow through the reactor and past these microbial biofilms, where the attached microbes would remove organic matter and other nutrients,” Steinberg told Digital Trends. “A special group of bacteria in the reactor, named methanogens, produce methane which we used to grow methylococcus capsulatus, a methane-consuming microbe. Using the gas from the anaerobic reactor allowed us to prevent the transfer of potential pathogens or other unwanted microbes into the reactor growing M. capsulatus.”
Sadly, the project is currently concluded and Steinberg says “there is nothing else planned,” although she noted that it could be picked up by another research team wanting to continue the work.
“Deep-space flight is really difficult with food production being one of many tough to tackle issues,” House concluded. “I am most excited by the concept that remarkable, and sometimes extreme, microorganisms might help make deep space flight more practical. Naturally, this paper is only a small step, and I think that we have not necessarily found the optimal solution with respect to which microbes are used and how.”
...and die
Beat me to it;)
Reason #9 why I don’t want to personally go into space.
I used to have a dog who was way ahead of his time.
LOL....................It took me a second..............
So that’s what Pelosi was gumming on!
Now we know what Pelosi was chewing on during the SOTU last night!
Consider the effect on the astronauts during a long voyage. While cruising, there is little to do to keep them occupied. NASA can invent make-work projects for them to do, but they will know that it’s fake.
After a few weeks the reality sets in. Even though highly-motivated, they start to hate their life in a small compartment far from all that sustains life.
They will begin to resent the $hithole that they are in, with no way to get out. Making them eat $hit will not make it any better, given that it’s obvious that there are already firm plans to make them drink pi$$ that has gone through a purification machine.
In short, this is a dumb idea, just as the idea of The Martian using other astronauts’ $hit as fertilizer.
Beat me to it, Dr. Bogus!! :)
So...they’re gonna eat their own poop? That ought to beef up NASA’a astronaut recruitment program.
“Soylent Brown!!!!!” Split my gut laughing at this one.
Finally.
I would eat my fellow astronauts before I ever put one of these recycled “protein spread” from THIS NASA agency.
This is NOT your grandfather’s NASA.
Yup. I think I have just been marooned to this planet.
Eat sh!t and die.
Actually, they already do this with liquid waste in space. See that guy over there? You’re drinking his pee.
From PACKING FOR MARS, “astronauts are not going to fly back from Mars eating s**t sandwiches.”
Thats the same as pate isn’t it?
To boldly go...
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