Background

If you think flying from Dhaka to Buenos Aires is exhausting, think again. Not long from now, we’ll be making the long, tiresome journey to Mars (or the Moon, at least). It will be a while until we create new settlements there, but research and space expeditions are already in full swing. Leading international organisations have begun, training, launching and fundraising for this very purpose. The long and seemingly endless journey in a confined spaceship can not only become tedious for space travellers but also comes with its own set of food-related challenges.

  1. Any food taken on board needs to have a long shelf life, to survive the duration of the journey.
  2. We must entirely consume every opened package of food, there can be no rotting waste left over.
  3. Compact, lightweight food is the only viable option for the limited space available on board. Every ounce and every inch counts, and costs.

Could Spirulina in Space be the answer?

Spirulina in Space

Spirulina is a nutrient-rich superfood that is derived from seaweed. It is widely available in powdered and tablet form. We can mount an interactive installation onto any available surface within the spaceship. Guide to sizing is as follows:

Number of spirulina tablets required = Number of space travellers x Duration of return journey in days x Number of spirulina ‘meals’ per day.

Not only is the tablet form of spirulina compact with a long shelf life but also non-waste generating. Besides providing nourishment, the interactive installation can keep the space travellers entertained. It acts as a creative outlet for the long journey while addressing three problems:

  1. Astronauts commonly experience loss of appetite. These tiny nutritious tablets are easy to eat.
  2. Boredom and the subsequent toll it takes on the mental health of the space travellers.
  3. The installation acts as way of telling time and estimating the distance travelled.

Spirulina in Space has been developed for the Interplanetary Cookbook by the MIT Media Lab. We design speculative food futures for clients and partners globally.

Let’s grab a (virtual) cup of coffee and explore how we can work with you. Get in touch.