词条简介: The challenges of space exploration encourage everyone who participates in space-related activities to think outside the box and better appreciate what the Earth provides—food to eat, water to drink, air to breathe, energy to run our homes and industries, and more. Manned missions are an integral part of the U.S. space program, and astronauts require a safe, nutritious, and wholesome food supply. The challenge for NASA FTCSC is to develop new processes and products that will permit astronauts to feed themselves with a combination of foods prepared on Earth and food products from crops produced in space. Food systems must be developed for both short- and long-term missions, including 90-day missions on the International Space Station and one- to three-year missions on outposts on the moon or Mars. The mission of the NASA FTCSC is to engage the food industry and academia to develop these food systems.