Ohio Pen - NASA Invites Media, Public to Attend Deep Space Food Challenge Finale

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WASHINGTON, Aug. 2, 2024 ~ NASA Invites Media and Public to Deep Space Food Challenge Symposium and Winners' Announcement

On Friday, August 16, NASA will be hosting a symposium and announcing the winners of the Deep Space Food Challenge at the Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center in Columbus, Ohio. The event will explore the intersection of space exploration and food innovation, highlighting the agency's Moon to Mars initiatives.

The Deep Space Food Challenge was launched in 2019 by NASA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) as a multi-year international effort to develop sustainable food systems for long-duration habitation in space, including on the Moon and Mars. Since Phase 1 of the challenge opened in 2021, over 300 teams from 32 countries have submitted innovative food system designs. The final Phase 3 winners will be announced at the event, with a total prize purse of $3 million being awarded by NASA.

"Advanced food systems also benefit life on Earth," said Kim Krome-Sieja, acting program manager of NASA Centennial Challenges at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. "Solutions from this challenge could enable new avenues for food production around the world, especially in extreme environments, resource-scarce regions, and in locations where disasters disrupt critical infrastructure."

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In addition to recognizing the winners of the challenge, media can also attend activities on Thursday, August 15 including private tours, networking opportunities, knowledge sharing sessions, and culinary experiences. Interested media must RSVP by Monday, August 12 to Lane Figueroa at [email address].

The event is being hosted by The Methuselah Foundation in coordination with Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences and NASA Centennial Challenges. Angela Herblet, challenge manager of the Deep Space Food Challenge and program analyst at NASA Marshall expressed excitement for celebrating the finalists' achievements: "Our Phase 2 winners' event in Brooklyn, New York, was an incredible display of innovation, partnership, and collaboration across NASA, industry, and academia. I'm looking forward to celebrating these brilliant Phase 3 finalists and underscoring the giant leaps they've made toward creating sustainable, regenerative food production systems."

The event will feature a meet and greet with the Phase 3 finalists, symposium panels, and live demonstrations of their food production technologies. Attendees will also have the opportunity to meet the "Simunauts," a team of Ohio State students who managed operations of the technologies during an eight-week demonstration and testing period.

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Amy Kaminski, program executive for NASA's Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing at NASA Headquarters in Washington D.C., expressed her excitement for welcoming media and stakeholders to the event: "These finalists have worked diligently for three years to develop their diverse, innovative food systems, and I'm excited to see how their technologies may impact NASA's future deep space missions."

The awards ceremony will also be livestreamed on Marshall Space Flight Center's YouTube channel and NASA Prize's Facebook page.

As a NASA Centennial Challenge, the Deep Space Food Challenge is a coordinated effort between NASA and CSA for the benefit of all. Subject matter experts at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston and Kennedy Space Center in Florida have supported the competition. The challenge is part of NASA's Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing program within the Space Technology Mission Directorate and is managed by Marshall Space Flight Center. The Methuselah Foundation oversees the competitors in partnership with NASA.

For more information about the symposium or to learn more about the Deep Space Food Challenge visit nasa.gov/spacefoodchallenge.

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