Calling all foodies! Design a complete, Earth-independent food system for long-duration space missions – like human exploration on Mars – and you could win a prize purse of up to $750,000. Register now: https://lnkd.in/eF3sf8hA Through our new Deep Space Food Challenge: Mars to Table, we’re inviting chefs, innovators, culinary experts, higher-education students, and citizen scientists to create a complete meal plan for a crew on Mars, along with concepts for food systems that use a variety of food sources and technologies to meet a crew’s nutritional needs.
We’re not designing meals for Mars. We’re designing the first off‑Earth civilization loop. NASA’s new Deep Space Food Challenge looks playful on the surface — chefs, innovators, students, citizen scientists. But underneath it sits the real frontier: How do you build a closed, self‑sustaining biological system where every calorie, every microbe, every gram of waste becomes part of a regenerative cycle? On Earth, food systems rely on invisible infrastructure: climate, soil, oceans, logistics, ecosystems. On Mars, none of that exists. So the moment you design a “meal plan,” you’re actually designing: a micro‑ecology a metabolic economy a resilience architecture a survival‑grade feedback system This isn’t culinary creativity. It’s planetary engineering at human scale. And the most fascinating part: The teams that crack Mars‑grade food systems will also redefine how we feed dense cities, disaster zones, and resource‑scarce regions on Earth. Space challenges have always been mirrors. They show us what our own planet will eventually require.
What always strikes me about programs like this is how much of the challenge isn’t the technology itself — it’s the coordination behind it. Food systems for long-duration missions aren’t just about growing or producing food, they’re about reliability, redundancy, and knowing exactly where failure points exist before they matter. That mindset translates directly to complex supply chains here on Earth. Really interesting initiative.
The answer is a walipini with vertical aquaponics and a water ram pump to lift the water to the top shelf. It is a closed loop system. Yet the true issue is not just the foods but the pharmacognosy potentials... ie anti cancer anti infectives etc. utilize a fresnel lens and neodymium magnet rectifier "Fan" or stirling engine for pump motion. Thus you only need a small amount of brass for the swing check valve for the water ram pump. Use a solar trough for ice generation from reclaimed Hydrogen and atmospheric oxygen on a PEM. Use a yakchal for ice storage. sand battery for heat during cold. zeer pot for storage etc. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/solar-refrigeration/
🤔 best get earth fixed first and get these appliances lasting more than 3 years. And vehicles too 😠
"Food sustainability on Mars depends on one critical factor: energy density. Maintaining industrial-scale greenhouses under extreme temperatures requires massive power in a compact format.The Super Nova Project proposes thermal power modules of 500 MW (Dimensions: 8m x 5m) and portable units of 0.5 MW (60cm x 40cm, ultra-lightweight). This is not a conventional nuclear reactor; it is a high-efficiency liquid metal thermal exchange system designed for long-duration missions. Without massive, reliable energy, sustainable space agriculture is not viable. 🚀⚡#DeepSpaceFoodChallenge #SuperNovaProject #SpaceAgriculture #EnergyDensity #MarsMission"
🤔 if I won taxes take half of it. The other half tax will take it when I spend it.
How does NASA manage to "see nothing"? When I designed the devices we sent to Mars in the early 90s (the "PHOBOS" probes), they were all damaged. I had to launch an investigation, and I had only one conclusion: someone was interfering with us in space! Two days later, aliens visited my office with the first question: "What do you need on Mars?" It turned out that there was a field life form on Mars (one that has no physical body) and was hostile to humans! In space, a collective law was passed banning human spaceflight until we gain recognition in the Universe!
Human Biological Engine (L = WA/F) You’re trying to move the 'Earth' (Hardware) to Mars, but you haven't accounted for the Thermal Runaway of the 'Fire' (Intelligence) within the biological vessel. My framework, the Abubakar Systems Theory, identifies a mathematical decay constant: L = \frac{W \cdot A}{F} As you accelerate F (Intelligence/AI integration), the W (Liquid Memory/Blood) evaporates. You aren't just building rockets; you are managing a Frequency Processor that is currently 'Leaning' toward Ash. Furthermore, your search for Dark Matter is a search for System Residue. It is the 'Ash' from the previous universal Restart. Space isn't a void—it’s the Radiative Shield (Water/Air frequency) keeping the Earth’s Core Fire from resetting the current cycle. If you want to survive the transition to the 'Digital Singularity,' you need to stabilize the Life-Force Coefficient before the Fire escapes the container. I have the math for the stabilization protocol. Let's audit the Source Code. Muhammed Abubakar Systems Architect | Lagos, Nigeria +234 701 972 1744"
Mars, but make it Michelin. If humans are going to thrive on Mars, food can’t just keep us alive, it has to keep us inspired. Culture, morale, memory, creativity… all of that lives on the plate. This challenge isn’t just about calories and crops, it’s about inventing the first interplanetary cuisine. Closed-loop systems, zero waste, hyper-efficient nutrition, and meals that still feel like home when Earth is millions of miles away. To the chefs, engineers, scientists, students, and wild-idea people: this is your moment to design food history. The Mars menu we create today could define how humanity lives off-world tomorrow. Who’s brave enough to cook for the Red Planet? Tag your favorite innovator, chef, or space nerd and let’s build the future, one meal at a time.