Astronauts on the first manned mission to Mars are likely to number horticultural experts and chefs as well as more traditional ex-military personnel.
Supplying enough food for a round trip to the Red Planet is one of the greatest challenges facing mission planners, experts were told yesterday.
One solution under consideration is for astronauts to grow their own food in a hi-tech ‘kitchen garden’
Speaking at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society in Denver, Colorado, she said: ‘That’s a clear impediment to a lot of mission scenarios.
‘We need new approaches. Right now, we are looking at the possibility of implementing a bio-regenerative system that would involve growing crops in space and possibly shipping some bulk commodities to a Mars habitat as well.
‘This scenario involves much more food processing and meal preparation than the current food system developed for the space shuttles and the International Space Station.’