To deeply explore the solar system, it will be necessary to become less reliant on the resupply tether to Earth. An approach explored in this study is to convert hydrocarbons in asteroids to human edible food. After comparing the experimental pyrolysis breakdown products, which were able to be converted to biomass using a consortia, it was hypothesized that equivalent chemicals found on asteroids could also be converted to biomass with the same nutritional content as the pyrolyzed products. This study is a mathematical exercise that explores the potential food yield that could be produced from these methodologies. This study uses the abundance of aliphatic hydrocarbons in the Murchison meteorite (>35 ppm) as a baseline for the calculations, representing the minimum amount of organic matter that could theoretically be attributed to biomass production. Calculations for the total carbon in solvent-insoluble organic matter (IOM) represent the maximum amount of organic matter that could theoretically be attributed to food production. These two values will provide a range of realistic yields to determine how much food could theoretically be extractable from an asteroid. The results of this study found that if only the aliphatic hydrocarbons can be converted into biomass (minimum scenario) the resulting mass of edible biomass extractable from asteroid Bennu ranges from 5.070 × 107 g to 2.390 × 108 g. If the biomass extraction process, however, is more efficient, and all IOM is converted into edible biomass (maximum scenario), then the mass of edible biomass extractable from asteroid Bennu ranges from 1.391 × 109 g to 6.556 × 109 g. This would provide between 5.762 × 108 and 1.581 × 1010 calories that is enough to support between 600 and 17 000 astronaut life years. The asteroid mass needed to support one astronaut for one year is between 160 000 metric tons and 5000 metric tons. Based on these results, this approach of using carbon in asteroids to provide a distributed food source for humans appears promising, but there are substantial areas of future work.
See also[edit | edit source]
- Feeding Everyone No Matter What - The full book main page
- David Denkenberger and Joshua Pearce, Feeding Everyone No Matter What: Managing Food Security After Global Catastrophe , 1st Edition, Academic Press, 2015
- Free Preview: Google books
- Cover on Academia
- Facebook page
- Alternative Foods as a Solution to Global Food Supply Catastrophes
- Resilience to global food supply catastrophes
- Feeding Everyone if the Sun is Obscured and Industry is Disabled
- Cost-Effectiveness of Interventions for Alternate Food to Address Agricultural Catastrophes Globally
- Feeding Everyone: Solving the Food Crisis in Event of Global Catastrophes that Kill Crops or Obscure the Sun
- Food without sun: Price and life-saving potential
- Cost-effectiveness of interventions for alternate food in the United States to address agricultural catastrophes
- Micronutrient Availability in Alternative Foods During Agricultural Catastrophes
- Preliminary Automated Determination of Edibility of Alternative Foods: Non-Targeted Screening for Toxins in Red Maple Leaf Concentrate
- Open Source Software Toolchain for Automated Non-Targeted Screening for Toxins in Alternative Foods
- Scaling of greenhouse crop production in low sunlight scenarios
- Potential of microbial protein from hydrogen for preventing mass starvation in catastrophic scenarios
- U.S. Potential of Sustainable Backyard Distributed Animal and Plant Protein Production During & After Pandemics
- Global distribution of forest classes and leaf biomass for use as alternative foods to minimize malnutrition
- Long-term cost-effectiveness of interventions for loss of electricity/industry compared to artificial general intelligence safety
- Long term cost-effectiveness of resilient foods for global catastrophes compared to artificial general intelligence safety
- Rapid repurposing of pulp and paper mills, biorefineries, and breweries for lignocellulosic sugar production in global food catastrophes
- Nutrition in Abrupt Sunlight Reduction Scenarios: Envisioning Feasible Balanced Diets on Resilient Foods
- Methane Single Cell Protein: securing protein supply during global food catastrophes
- Killing two birds with one stone: chemical and biological upcycling of polyethylene terephthalate plastics into food
- How Easy is it to Feed Everyone? Economic Alternatives to Eliminate Human Nutrition Deficits
- Quantifying Alternative Food Potential of Agricultural Residue in Rural Communities of Sub-Saharan Africa
- Yield and Toxin Analysis of Leaf Protein Concentrate from Common North American Coniferous Trees
- Toxic Analysis of Leaf Protein Concentrate Regarding Common Agricultural Residues
- Towards Sustainable Protein Sources: The Thermal and Rheological Properties of Alternative Proteins
- How we can mine asteroids for space food
Additional Information[edit source]
- ALLFED
- Dave Denkenberger Publications
- OSE Wiki "Synfood" (i.e. protein and other dietary components from microbial organisms fed on gas or other hydrocarbons)
Davos IDRC Conference[edit source]
- Feeding Everyone if Industry is Disabled
- Providing Non-food Needs if Industry is Disabled
- Vitamins in Agricultural Catastrophes
- Integrative Risk Management for Catastrophe Destroying 10-20% of Global Food Supply
In the News[edit | edit source]
- radio interview
- The Food of Space Travel Could Be Based on Rocks New York Times
- Could Future Astronauts Dine on Asteroids? Popular Mechanics
- Astronauts Should Eat Space Rocks on the Way to Mars, Scientists Propose - Fresh asteroid, anyone? Futurism
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- Asteroids could be food in future interplanetary missions Universe Magazine
- Asteroids Could Be Used To Provide Meals For Space Travellers, Study Says Mashable India
- Les astronautes devraient manger des roches spatiales en route vers Mars, proposent des scientifiques Net cost
- Phi hành gia có thể 'ăn' tiểu hành tinhVN Express
- Los astronautas del futuro podrían sobrevivir alimentándose de asteroides La Vanguardia (newspaper >200k)
- Manger des astéroïdes, une possibilité pour survivre durant le voyage jusqu’à Mars CNET France
- Asteroiden als Nahrungsquelle für Marsmissionen? Zu diesem Schluss kommt neue Studie T3N Germany
- Gli astronauti mangeranno gli asteroidi per nutrirsi nello Spazio MeteoWeb
- CKNW (radio)
- Astronauts could one day end up eating asteroids New Scientist
- Astronauts can look to asteroids for all-you-can-eat meals, suggests study Deccan Herald
- Astronauci powinni jeść kosmiczne skały w drodze na Marsa Forsal.pl
- Will Asteroids Be The Next Food For Astronauts? Here's The Answer OneArabia
- Peneliti Usul Astronaut Makan Batu dalam Perjalanan ke Mars CNBC Indonesia
- The Food of Space Travel Could Be Based on Rocks MSN
- E se asteroides servirem para alimentar astronautas em viagens espaciais? Canaltech
- Astronauts could one day end up eating asteroids Azer
- Makan Batu di Luar Angkasa? Astronot Masa Depan Siap Santap Milkshake Asteroid Sains
- Cosa mangeranno gli astronauti su Marte? Rocce, e non stiamo scherzando EverEye
- Asteroid jako jídlo budoucnosti pro astronauty Online Hazard.CZ
- Penelitian Terbaru Ungkap Sebuah Fakta Unik, di Masa Depan Astronot Bisa Makan Asteroid! Klaten
- E se asteroides servirem para alimentar astronautas em viagens espaciais? Agencia5
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- Scientists Propose Extracting Carbon From Asteroids To Create Food For Long-Term Space Missions Times Now News
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- Asteroidai gali būti naudojami ruošiant maistą būsimiems astronautams: tyrimas Medinavisiems
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- Ο αστεροειδής που μπορεί να γίνει το νέο super food – Μελέτη Cibum
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- O soluție bizară pentru astronauții care vor coloniza spațiul: să mănânce solul de pe asteroizi Ziarulprofit
- Future astronauts may eat asteroids according to a study The Tatva
- Asteroids for dinner? Scientists research using asteroid bacteria to make space food BBC
- O soluție bizară pentru astronauții care vor coloniza spațiul: să mănânce solul de pe asteroizi HotNews
- Astronautas poderão se alimentar de asteroides no futuro, sugere estudo CNN Brasil
- Forskerhold vil lave asteroide-yoghurt til astronauter Videbskab
- Essen im Weltall: Forscher finden neuen Weg zum Anbau von Biomasse Future Zone
- Manger des astéroïdes : l’idée folle pour nourrir les futurs astronautes SciencePost
- Western Team Crafts Space-Ready Asteroid Edibles Miragenews
- Astronauts could use asteroids to prepare meals in space, new study claims. Here's how Money Control
- Mornings with Simi Global News
- BRTK
- Cientistas descobrem que astronautas podem recorrer aos asteroides para se alimentar em viagens espaciais; entenda O Globo
- Astronotların gelecekteki besini: Asteroitler nasıl gıdaya dönüştürülür? NTV
- Asteroid bakal Diolah Jadi Milkshake dan Yoghurt untuk Makanan Astronaut, Begini Penjelasannya Lamp Post
- O soluție bizară pentru astronauții care vor coloniza spațiul: să mănânce solul de pe asteroizi Ziar
- Jedli bi lahko mlete asteroide Slovenskenovice
- Astronautas poderão se alimentar de asteroides em missões espaciais longas Sistemaparaiso
- Bacterii crescute pe asteroizi: O posibilă sursă de hrană pentru astronauți în viitor Incredibilia
- Astronautas poderão se alimentar de asteroides em futuras missões Portaltela
- New Study Claims Asteroids May Become the Next Wonder Food for Astronauts Newstracklive
- Asteroid may become new wonder-food for astronauts, claims new study MSN
- Astronotlar bir gün 'taş' yiyebilir Timeturk
- Eating asteroids? Western research team creates possible food for space travel Western News
- Teadlased: pole välistatud, et Marsile lennates tuleb kivimitest toituma hakata Teadus
- Asteroides transformados em alimentos para astronautas Lorena
- Astronautas poderão se alimentar de asteroides em futuras missões espaciais, aponta estudo Administradores
- Merienda espacial: los futuros astronautas podrían comer asteroides de acuerdo a un plan revelado por científicos Rosario
- Astronotlar bir gün asteroitlerle beslenebilir TRTHaber
- Manusia Diperkirakan Bisa Mendapatkan Makanan dari Asteroid di Masa Depan, Kok Bisa? Grid Kid
- Future long-term astronauts may end up eating asteroids (thanks to bacteria) ZME Science
- Investigating the possibility of using asteroid material to grow edible biomass for astronauts Phys.org
- McDonald's in space? Scientists suggests 'asteroid rocks' Business Today India
- Investigating Asteroid Material as Potential Food Source for Astronauts Daily Galaxy
- Asteroids can produce food for space travellers, suggests study WION
- Asteroids can be transformed into food for astronauts on deep space mission, says a study MSN
- Eating asteroids? Western research team creates possible food for space travel Education News Canada
- Readly
- New study suggests asteroids as potential superfood for astronauts Times of India
- Kuo ateityje maitinsis astronautai? Tyrėjai siūlo asteroidais mintančių bakterijų kokteilį LRT
- Proponen obtener comida de los asteroides para alimentar a los futuros astronautas El Debate
- Comment les astéroïdes pourraient nourrir les futurs astronautes Science et Vie
- Forskere vil lage asteroide-mat Dagbladet
- Pesquisa indica ser possível usar bactérias para gerar alimento a partir de asteroides Opovo
- Cercetătorii au găsit hrana viitorului pentru astronauți. Mai ceva ca în filmele SF - Retetesivedete
- Asteroides podem se tornar comida, avaliam cientistas; entenda DCM
- E se os astronautas puderem alimentar-se de asteroides? Novo estudo traz conclusões promissoras Visao
- Una dieta a base di asteroidi INAF
- MSN
- Les astéroïdes pourraient être transformés en nourriture pour les astronautes, révèle une étude Trust My Science
- Astronauts and space rocks: the new proposal for Mars Ruetir
- How Future Astronauts Could Eat Asteroids on Long-term Space Missions Uncover Reality
- Pour être en forme, mangez des astéroïdes : l’idée (un peu) folle pour nourrir les astronautes The Daily Geek Show
- AM640 in Toronto with Kelly Cutrara
- Científicos sugieren convertir asteroides en comida para astronautas El Heraldo
- Western researchers investigate turning asteroids into food Western Gazette
- Gli astronauti potrebbero mangiare gli asteroidi: ecco il menù del futuro nello spazio Men Health Italy
- The idea of producing food for space exploration from asteroids Gigazine
- Asteroidensaft: Die Lösung für die Marsreise? Obsessive Media De
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