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By Savannah Bullard<\/em><\/p>\n NASA\u2019s Deep Space Food Challenge kicks off its final eight-week demonstration this month, and a new crew is running the show.\u00a0<\/p>\n NASA\u2019s partner for the Deep Space Food Challenge, the Methuselah Foundation, has teamed up \u00a0with Ohio State University in Columbus to facilitate the challenge\u2019s third and final phase. The university is employing current and former students to serve on a \u201cSimunaut\u201d crew to maintain and operate the food production technologies during the demonstration period.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The Deep Space Food Challenge creates novel food production systems that offer safe, nutritious, and delicious food for long-duration human exploration missions while conscious of waste, resources, and labor. The challenge could also benefit humanity by helping address Earth\u2019s food scarcity problems. In this challenge phase, NASA will offer a $1.5 million prize purse to winning U.S. teams after demonstrations are completed during an awards ceremony on August 16.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s easy for a team with intimate knowledge of their food systems to operate them. This will not be the case for astronauts who potentially use these solutions on deep-space missions,\u201d said Angela Herblet, Program Analyst for NASA\u2019s Centennial Challenges and Challenge Manager for the Deep Space Food Challenge. \u201cIncorporating the Simunauts will add a unique flair that will test the acceptability and ease of use of these systems.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The demonstrations will occur inside Ohio State\u2019s Wilbur A. Gould Food Industries Center\u2019s Food Processing Pilot Plant until Wednesday, July 31. Meet the students behind the demonstrations:\u00a0<\/p>\n Fuanyi Fobellah was a picky eater as a child. But, when he began wrestling in school, food became an essential part of his life. Now a senior majoring in food business management at Ohio State, Fobellah combines his love for space exploration with his food, nutrition, business, and innovation knowledge.<\/p>\n Q: How does the work you\u2019re doing this summer fit into the overall NASA mission, and how do your contributions fit into that mission?<\/strong><\/p>\n A: <\/strong>Food can easily become an overlooked aspect of space travel, but humans can only live and travel to different planets with sustainable food systems. That\u2019s why a challenge focused on developing food systems for space travel is so vital to NASA\u2019s mission.<\/p>\n Sakura Sugiyama\u2019s childhood hobbies were cooking and baking, and with two scientists as parents, the Deep Space Food Challenge piqued the interest of the recent Ohio State graduate. Sugiyama obtained her bachelor\u2019s degree from Ohio State\u2019s Department of Food Science and Technology and plans to work in research and development in the food industry.\u00a0<\/p>\n Q: Why do you think this work is important for the future of civilization?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n A: <\/strong>Food variety, sustainability, energy efficiency\u2014all of those are issues we face here on Earth due to climate change, increasing populations, and food insecurity. I hope that solving those issues in space will also help solve those problems on Earth.<\/p>\n A fifth-year student studying animal sciences, Charlie Frick, found his passion while growing up on his family\u2019s farm. While finishing his degree, he hopes the Deep Space Food Challenge will allow him to use his agriculture and animal science knowledge to support space technology, nutrition, and food regeneration.<\/p>\n Q: Now that you\u2019re familiar with NASA\u2019s public prize competitions, how do you think they benefit the future of human space exploration?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n A: <\/strong>These challenges help a lot because sometimes you need that third person who doesn\u2019t have that background but can come up with something to help. These challenges are critical in helping bring about technologies that otherwise would never exist.<\/p>\n Mehir Un Nisa is a graduate student in Ohio State\u2019s Department of Food Science and Technology. As a kid who dreamed about working at NASA, Un Nisa is using her expertise in food science to make that dream a reality and get a foot in the door of the agency\u2019s food and nutrition programs.\u00a0<\/p>\n Q: How does it feel to work alongside NASA on a project like this?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n A: <\/strong>Working with NASA empowers me as a researcher, and it makes me feel good that food science has a part in that big name. It\u2019s a dream come true for me.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Deep Space Food Challenge, a\u202fNASA Centennial Challenge, is a coordinated effort between\u202fNASA\u202fand CSA (Canadian Space Agency). Subject matter experts at\u202fJohnson Space Center\u202fin Houston, Texas, and\u202fKennedy Space Center\u202fin Merritt Island, Florida, support the competition. NASA\u2019s Centennial Challenges are part of the\u202fPrizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing program\u202fwithin NASA\u2019s\u202fSpace Technology Mission Directorate\u202fand managed at\u202fMarshall Space Flight Center\u202fin Huntsville, Alabama.\u202fThe Methuselah Foundation, in partnership with NASA, oversees the United States and international competitors.<\/p>\n For more information on the Deep Space Food Challenge, visit:\u00a0<\/p>\n nasa.gov\/spacefoodchallenge\u00a0<\/p>\n