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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2018

Meal Replacement Mass Reduction Integration and Acceptability Study

The Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) and future exploration missions are mass constrained; therefore we are challenged to reduce the mass of the food system by 10% while maintaining safety, nutrition, and acceptability to support crew health and performance for exploration missions. Meal replacement with nutritionally balanced, 700-900 calorie bars was identified as a method to reduce mass. However, commercially available products do not meet the requirements for a meal replacement in the spaceflight food system. The purpose of this task was to develop a variety of nutritionally balanced, high quality, breakfast replacement bars, which enable a 10% food mass savings. To date, six nutrient-dense meal replacement bars have been developed, all of which meet spaceflight nutritional, microbiological, sensory, and shelf-life requirements. The four highest scoring bars were evaluated based on final product sensory acceptability, nutritional stability, qualitative stability of analytical measurements (i.e. color and texture), and microbiological compliance over a period of two years to predict long-term acceptability. All bars maintained overall acceptability throughout the first year of storage, despite minor changes in color and texture. However, added vitamins C, B1, and B9 degraded rapidly in fortified samples of Banana Nut bars, indicating the need for additional development. In addition to shelf-life testing, four bar varieties were evaluated in the Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA), campaign 3, to assess the frequency with which actual meal replacement options may be implemented, based on impact to satiety and psychosocial measurements. Crewmembers (n=16) were asked to consume meal replacement bars every day for the first fifteen days of the mission and every three days for the second half of the mission. Daily surveys assessed the crew's responses to bar acceptability, mood, food fatigue and perceived stress. Preliminary results indicate that the majority of crew members were noncompliant with daily meal replacement during the first half of the mission. Several crew members chose to forgo the meal, resulting in caloric deficits that were higher on skipped-bar days. Body mass loss was significant throughout the mission. Although there was no significant difference in body mass loss overall between the first half and second half of the mission, a higher number of individual crew members lost more body mass in the first half of the mission. Analysis is still ongoing, but current trends suggest that daily involuntary meal replacement can lead to greater individual impacts on body mass and psychological factors, while meal replacement on a more limited basis may be acceptable to most crew for missions up to 30 days. This data should be considered in Orion mass trades with health and human performance.

Sirmons, T.↗
NASA NTRS2018

Potential Mercurian Analogues: Aubrite and Enstatite Chondrite Impact Melt Meteorites

The MESSENGER (MErcury Surface Space ENvironment GEochemistry and Ranging Spacecraft) mission provided new data that have helped us better constrain the surficial mineralogy and composition of Mercury. Mercury has an extremely low oxygen fugacity (f O2) (Iron Wustite (IW) -7.3 to IW -2.6), and at these unique conditions, elements, which usually exhibit lithophile behavior on Earth, can exhibit chalcophile or siderophile behavior on Mercury. No samples have been returned from Mercury; therefore, we must study candidate meteorite analogs to better understand the formation conditions of minerals inferred to be present at the Mercurian surface and Mercurian magmatic processes. In this study, we present a comprehensive analysis of a representative suite of eight aubrites and four enstatite chondrite impact melts (ECIM), which both have a similar f O2 to Mercury, and contain exotic sulfides that have been inferred to be present at the Mercurian surface. These characteristics allow us to assess their relevance for understanding the mineralogy and magmatic processes of Mercury. The ECIM were previously classified as aubrites, but we show that they are actually ECIM with a potential EH (high enstatite) parent body origin due to the presence of niningerite, Si-enriched kamacite, and uniform Ni in schreibersite. We propose that, with respect to the aubrites, the ECIM represent an ideal candidate for Mercurian studies due to their mineralogy and modal mineralogy. Compared to the aubrites, the ECIM samples do not contain forsterite or diopside, show a poorer sulfide diversity, contain graphite, and have a higher volume percentage of metal phases. Although the Mercurian surface contains forsterite and diopside, graphite and a similar amount of metal and sulfides as seen in the ECIM are inferred to be present on Mercury. According to the calculated normative Mercurian mineralogy, both candidate meteorites are most analogous to the Caloris Basin and Northern Plains Lower Mg regions.

Wilbur, Zoe E.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Wrinkle Ridges on Mercury and the Moon Within and Outside of Mascons

Found on all terrestrial planets, wrinkle ridges are anticlines formed by thrust faulting and folding resulting from crustal shortening. The MErcury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft's orbital phase returned high resolution images and topographic data of the previously unimaged northern high latitudes of Mercury where there are large expanses of smooth plains deformed by wrinkle ridges. Concurrently, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) is obtaining high resolution images and topographic data covering lunar mare wrinkle ridges. These data allow quantitative comparison of the scale of wrinkle ridges in smooth plains volcanic units on Mercury with mare wrinkle ridges. We evaluate the topographic relief of 300 wrinkle ridges within and outside of mascon basins on the Moon and Mercury. Measured wrinkle ridges range from ~112 to 776 m in relief with a mean of ~350 m (median = ~340 m, n = 150) on Mercury and from ~47 to 678 m in relief with a mean of ~198 m (median = ~168 m, n = 150) on the Moon. Wrinkle ridges on Mercury thus are approximately twice as large in mean relief compared to their counterparts on the Moon. The larger scale of Mercury's wrinkle ridges suggests that their formation can be attributed, in part, to global contraction. As global contraction on the Moon is estimated to be an order of magnitude smaller than on Mercury, the smaller scale of lunar wrinkle ridges suggests they most likely form primarily by load induced subsidence of the mare basalt. Wrinkle ridges located in lunar mascon basins and in the Caloris mascon on Mercury are not statistically significantly different in relief than ridges in non-mascon regions, suggesting comparable levels of contractional strain. The fact that mascon basins do not host wrinkle ridges with greater structural relief relative to non-mascon units may indicate the critical role lithospheric thickness plays in controlling subsidence and contraction of thick volcanic sequences on the Moon and Mercury.

Global contraction↗
NASA NTRS2019

Machine Learning Prototype App For Recognition of Fruits

As the incidence of obesity and associated negative health consequences is rising, it becomes crucial to monitor the dietary choices of individuals. Unfortunately, traditional methods to collect this information involve collecting food frequency questionnaires from individuals using paper. Electronic food trackers have been developed to collect food data, but they require participants to manually label and describe the content of their meals, and which may be difficult for researchers to interpret in a standardized fashion. Machine learning, however, provides an easy and efficient method for both participants and researchers to label food items with standardized descriptions. This project aims to create a prototype phone application that can identify and label photos of apples. This is done by making a machine learning model through Turicreate, a python module, which is then implemented into an iOS app through Xcode and Swift. The modules used in Swift include CoreML and AVFoundation. This machine learning application will be incorporated with a MealLogger phone app that is also under development. The MealLogger app will be used to keep track of participants' calorie intake and other personal details throughout the sleep study. The machine learning model will present several potential identities of the foods found in the photo, and the user will only need to select the correct option. This will be a user-friendly method for participants to easily log their food consumption without the hard work of manually inputting each and every description. Some limitations to this project include the wide variety of food, including those within different cultures. To deal with this, the model will include the most generic food categories, which the participant may select, and produce a drop-down menu of more specific dishes under that specified category, with the option of self-input. Additional questionnaires may be implemented according to the food type selected This will allow the process to be quick and easy, but also specific for the purpose of analysis. The release of the application will require a much longer process, but the machine learning prototype presents a first step toward an application that may change data analysis for researchers interested in collecting food intake from individuals living in the real world.

Food tracker↗
NASA NTRS2019

Wrinkle ridges on Mercury and the Moon within and outside of mascons

Found on all terrestrial planets, wrinkle ridges are anticlines formed by thrust faulting and folding resulting from crustal shortening. The MErcury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER)spacecraft's orbital phase returned high resolution images and topographic data of the previously unimaged northern high latitudes of Mercury where there are large expanses of smooth plains deformed by wrinkle ridges. Concurrently, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) is obtaining high resolution images and topographic data covering lunar mare wrinkle ridges. These data allow quantitative comparison of the scale of wrinkle ridges in smooth plains volcanic units on Mercury with mare wrinkle ridges. We evaluate the topographic relief of 300 wrinkle ridges within and outside of mascon basins on the Moon and Mercury. Measured wrinkle ridges range from ~112 to 776 min relief with a mean of ~350m (median=~340m, n=150) on Mercury and from ~47 to 678 min relief with a mean of ~198 m (median=~168m, n=150) on the Moon. Wrinkle ridges on Mercury thus are approximately twice as large in mean relief compared to their counterparts on the Moon. The larger scale of Mercury's wrinkle ridges suggests that their formation can be attributed, in part, to global contraction. As global contraction on the Moon is estimated to be an order of magnitude smaller than on Mercury, the smaller scale of lunar wrinkle ridges suggests they most likely form primarily by load induced subsidence of the mare basalt. Wrinkle ridges located in lunar mascon basins and in the Caloris mascon on Mercury are not statistically significantly different in relief than ridges in non-mascon regions, suggesting comparable levels of contractional strain. The fact that mascon basins do not host wrinkle ridges with greater structural relief relative to non-mascon units may indicate the critical role lithospheric thickness plays in controlling subsidence and contraction of thick volcanic sequences on the Moon and Mercury.

Lisa S. Schleicher↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Bioregenerative Life Support for Humans in Space

To date, human life support in space has been achieved through physico-chemical methods along with stowage and resupply. But biological approaches could be used as well, such as growing plants (crops) to produce oxygen and food, while removing carbon dioxide generated by the humans. The plants and their associated microbiome could also be used to help recycle wastewater. These so-called bioregenerative approaches for human life support become more favorable as mission durations and distances increase. For example, a baseline mission to Mars would require about 3 years, including transit time to and from Mars, and living on the surface. For these and longer durations missions, life support approaches will need to be highly closed and sustainable, with minimal mass and power requirements. Based on testing by NASA and other space agencies around the world, about 20-25 m2 of crops could provide the oxygen needs for one human, while about 50 m2 of crops could provide the food(dietary calories) for one person. But this is dependent on lighting provided to the crops and optimizing the agricultural practices. In many ways, these goals for space agriculture have similar challenges to sustainable agriculture and living on Earth. The talk will review some of NASA’s research on biological life support and its potential for future space exploration.

Life Support↗
NASA NTRS2020

NASA's Contributions to Vertical Farming

NASA and other space agencies have an interest in using plants for human life support in space. The plants could provide food and O2 for the humans, while removing CO2 and helping purify wastewater. Studies to date have shown that a wide range of crops can be grown in controlled environment conditions envisioned for space. These systems will be volume and power constrained and will require recycling of water and nutrients. Light is a critical factor both for crop productivity and system power costs, and recent improvements in LEDs make them a preferred lighting option for space. NASA funded research helped test LEDs for plant lighting beginning in1990 and their continued development for the next 15 years. The explore volume efficiency, concepts such as vertically stacked hydroponic systems and light banks were tested in NASA’s Biomass Production Chamber at Kennedy Space Center, FL, US from 1988 through 2000. This was perhaps one of the first operational vertical farms. Findings from these and related tests around the world date suggest that with ~30-40 mol m-2 day-1 of photosynthetically active radiation, about 20-25 m2 of crops could supply the O2 for one human, while about 50 m2 would be required for food (dietary calories).

Raymond M Wheeler↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Legume Organoleptic and Nutritional Analysis

Long-duration missions beyond low Earth orbit will encounter challenges in maintaining adequate nutrition and acceptability in the food system. In situ production of fresh produce can supplement nutrients deficient in the stored diet. Currently there is a limited number of crops that can be reliably grown for space crop production. Recent challenges with Veggie plant growth technical demonstrations (i.e. Tokyo Bekana Chinese cabbage interveinal chlorosis and necrosis when grown under elevated CO2 (~3000ppm) and narrow-band LED lighting) have highlighted the necessity to conduct rigorous ISS-relevant crop screening on the ground. Additionally, crops must be selected to address specific nutritional deficits as identified by HRP, with an emphasis on having a large diversity of crops available to meet nutritional requirements and crew acceptability. A variety of crop types are necessary to address known nutritional deficits in the stored astronaut diet, to include leafy greens (vitamin C, vitamin K, potassium), tomatoes and peppers (vitamin C, potassium, lycopene), and legumes (vitamin B1).Legumes are being evaluated for biological performance and suitability under ISS-like environmental conditions as well as nutritional content and acceptability. Legumes are one of the few pick and eat crop types that is an excellent source of Vitamin B1.In FY21-22 Biological and Physical Sciences (BPS) is funding screening of 32 legume crop cultivars at KSC, 16 of which will be down-selected based on horticultural performance and informal taste testing for further horticultural assessment and analysis. HRP in FY21-22 is funding organoleptic and nutritional analysis of these 16 down-selected legume cultivars to determine the most promising candidates for future space applications. Nutritional analysis will include full elemental, proximate (fat, protein, calories, carbohydrates, ash), and vitamins B1, C, K. This new work is currently postponed due to Covid-19.

L E Spencer↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Novel Microgreen Crop Testing for Space

Long-duration missions beyond low-Earth orbit will encounter challenges in maintaining adequate nutrition and crew acceptability in the food system. In situ production of fresh produce can supplement nutrient deficiencies in the prepackaged diet. Currently, there are a relatively small number of crops that can be reliably grown in space for space crop production efforts. An intriguing area of new investigation involves novel types of microgreens that have the potential to be sources of calories, fat, carbohydrates, and protein. These sources of nutrition are not obtainable in significant quantities with current pick and eat crops. Many microgreen cultivars are also sources of nutrients of interest, such as Vitamins B1, C, and K, and elements such as potassium. Microgreens should be selected to address specific nutritional deficits, as identified by NASA’s Human Research Program, with an emphasis on having a diversity of crops to meet nutritional requirements and crew acceptability. To achieve this, the concept of Crop Readiness Level (CRL) has been developed to gauge readiness of crops for spaceflight applications. CRL includes assessing environmental compatibility, food safety considerations, relevant nutritional analysis, and sensory analysis. Recent testing at Kennedy Space Center has focused on advancing the CRL of a variety of novel microgreens. These varieties were grown under 150 µmol m -2 s -1 PPFD from LED lights, 3000 ppm CO 2 , and 23°C to simulate an ISS environment. Crops were harvested and yield was assessed. Then, baseline microbiological and nutritional analysis (Vitamins B1, C, K; mineral analysis; proximate analysis) and sensory evaluation were performed. These baseline data are essential to selecting candidate crops for future missions and assessing crop production hardware and changes in environmental conditions on future crop performance and nutritional quality.

nutrition↗
NASA NTRS2023

Chromium on Mercury: New Results From the MESSENGER X-Ray Spectrometer and Implications for the Innermost Planet’s Geochemical Evolution

Mercury, the innermost planet, formed under highly reduced conditions, based mainly on surface Fe, S, and Si abundances determined from MESSENGER mission data. The minor element Cr may serve as an independent oxybarometer but only very limited Cr data have been previously reported for Mercury. We report Cr/Si abundances across Mercury's surface based on MESSENGER X-Ray Spectrometer data throughout the spacecraft's orbital mission. The heterogeneous Cr/Si ratio ranges from 3.6 × 10 -5 in the Caloris Basin to 0.0012 within the high-magnesium region, with an average southern hemisphere value of 0.0008 (corresponding to about 200 ppm Cr). Absolute Cr/Si values have systematic uncertainty of at least 30%, but relative variations are more robust. By combining experimental Cr partitioning data along with planetary differentiation modeling, we find that if Mercury formed with bulk chondritic Cr/Al, Cr must be present in the planet's core and differentiation must have occurred at log ƒO 2 in the range of IW-6.5 to IW-2.5 in the absence of sulfides in its interior and a range of IW-5.5 to IW-2 with an FeS layer at the core-mantle boundary. Models with large fractions of Mg-Ca-rich sulfides in Mercury's interior are more compatible with moderately reducing conditions (IW-5.5 to IW-4) owing to the instability of Mg-Ca-rich sulfides at elevated ƒO 2 . These results indicate that if Mercury differentiated at a log ƒO 2 lower than IW-5.5, the presence of sulfides whether in the form of a FeS layer at the top of the core or Mg-Ca-rich sulfides within the mantle would be unlikely.

Larry R. Nittler↗
NASA NTRS2024

Quantifying Food Security and Mitigation Risks Consequential to Climate Change Impacts on Crop Yields

Climate change is expected to impact crop yields globally, with some regions benefiting from favorable conditions and CO2 fertilization, while others face adverse effects from altered precipitation and higher temperatures. Changes in crop yields can destabilize the global food system and pose challenges to food security. Moreover, crop production is crucial, as biofuels are becoming increasingly important contributors to climate change mitigation measures aimed at limiting global warming. This study uses the Integrated Model to Assess the Global Environment integrated assessment model framework to analyze different indicators related to food security and climate change mitigation under varying climate change impacts on crop yields. Twelve spatially explicit crop productivity projections were taken from the full archive of the Global Gridded Crop Model Intercomparison of 120 climate-crop model combinations, forced by CMIP6-based climate scenarios. The selection includes two average-performing climate-crop model combinations, two pessimistic combinations that perform one standard deviation below the mean, and two optimistic model combinations that perform one standard deviation above the mean. To single out the effect of climate change on productivity changes, we drew samples from two representative concentration pathways (RCP2.6 and RCP8.5). These productivity projections were applied within an otherwise uniform scenario (SSP2) and analyzed for their effect on total calorie demand, crop prices, and number of people at risk of undernourishment to quantify food security. Risks to climate change mitigation targets were explored by modeling the total bioenergy supply, emissions, and global mean temperature. The results revealed significant differences in the risk of food security and mitigation potential between different regions and climate change scenarios. Across scenarios, the crop area extent can vary up to 2 million km2 due to changing crop yields. The projected change in global hunger ranges from 60 to 160 million undernourished people, indicating uncertainty between climate and crop model combinations. Low-income regions are especially impacted because of their high sensitivity to changes in food prices. Global climate change mitigation ambitions can also deviate by the latter part of the 21st century, as changes in yields will impact biofuel production as well as agriculture, forestry and other land use emissions. The quantitative insights generated by this study highlight the need for global policy efforts to make the agricultural system more adaptive to climate change to handle potential negative impacts.

crop yields↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Bionutrients-1: Utilizing Genomics and Transcriptomics to Assess the Reliability of Microorganisms for In Situ Nutrient Production on Long Duration Missions

The resupply of current long-duration crewed missions to the ISS relies on ground-launched supplies. As NASA looks toward Mars, ground-based resupply will no longer be an option. Critical nutrients, including vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, and thiamin, degrade during long-term storage, and regular consumption of these nutrients is essential for astronaut health. Another challenge of current food systems is the difficulty of consuming sufficient calories when subsisting on the limited flavors of freeze-dried food, which can lead to weight loss. The inclusion of microorganism-based food systems could alleviate both concerns. For example, the fermentation of rehydrated milk into yogurt with microorganisms genetically incorporating genes to produce critical vitamins would allow for both in situ production of nutrients and a fresh food product with additional flavor profiles. In comparison to plant food production, microorganisms require less flight infrastructure. The BioNutrients-1 mission is demonstrating viability of microbial fermentation food production in microgravity and testing the reliability of this approach for long-duration missions lacking resupply. While the BioNutrients-1 mission includes the collection of multiple phenotypic measurements, this status update will focus on the processing of samples for genomics and transcriptomics analyses as well as the planned analysis pipelines. First, the BioNutrients-1 mission seeks to identify microorganisms capable of surviving long-duration storage at ambient temperatures while maintaining genetic fidelity. To achieve this, nine commonly employed microbial species were stored at ambient temperatures in Stasis Packs on the ISS for five years. The viability and mutation rates will be measured at multiple time points for both flown and ground control samples. From an omics perspective, the changes in the bulk rates of point mutations and genetic rearrangements across the Stasis Pack species during the five years of storage will be determined, providing valuable insights into the potential of these microorganisms for long-duration space missions. Second, the BioNutrients-1 mission is characterizing the impact of microgravity on fermentation. Two strains of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, each encoding antioxidants (β-carotene or zeaxanthin) were flown to ISS for storage and fermentation within simplified bioreactors (Production Packs). The impact of microgravity on the expression of the antioxidant production genes and general metabolic genes will be determined using RNA sequencing. Ultimately, the transcriptome data will be compared to phenotypic measurements, such as the antioxidant yield, end-state biomass, and the production of EtOH, to determine the impacts of microgravity and long-term storage on microbial fermentation. The findings from this research will be instrumental in understanding the challenges and opportunities of microorganism-based food systems in space missions.

BioNutrients↗
NASA NTRS2024

Quantifying Caloric Expenditure During Zero-G Exercise

BACKGROUND: Exercise is a fundamental component of maintaining astronaut health on long-duration space missions, where the microgravity environment poses unique challenges to physiological homeostasis. Accurate quantification of energy expenditure during such exercises is crucial for optimizing nutritional and physical health strategies for spacefarers. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to develop a comprehensive model to estimate caloric expenditure during exercise in a microgravity environment, employing a combination of spirometry, heart rate data, and other relevant parameters. By assessing energy utilization under these conditions, we seek to facilitate enhanced health management protocols for astronauts in space. METHODS & OUTCOMES: A multivariate predictive model will be constructed, utilizing spirometry and heart rate data, coupled with additional physiological and environmental parameters. A systematic approach will be applied to analyze the relationship between these variables and energy expenditure during various exercises. The proposed model will subsequently undergo rigorous validation to ensure accuracy and reliability. This research is expected to yield a precise and reliable predictive model, contributing to improved strategies for exercise prescription and nutritional intake, addressing the unique challenges presented by microgravity environments. We anticipate that our findings will support the development of more effective health maintenance protocols for astronauts during extended space missions, mitigating the adverse effects of space travel on the human body. SIGNIFICANCE: The development of an accurate and adaptable model to quantify caloric expenditure during exercise in space represents a pivotal advancement in space medicine. The insights gained from this study have the potential to inform the design of enhanced health and wellness strategies, ensuring the well-being and operational effectiveness of astronauts in long-duration space missions.

Calorie↗