[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 10 (Friday, January 15, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4131-4132]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-00908]


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NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION


Notice of Deep Space Food Challenge Phase 1

AGENCY: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
    Notice: (21-003).

ACTION: Notice of Deep Space Food Challenge Phase 1.

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SUMMARY: Phase 1 of the Deep Space Food Challenge is open, and teams 
that wish to compete may now register. Centennial Challenges, part of 
the NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate's Prizes, Challenges, and 
Crowdsourcing Program, consist of prize competitions to stimulate 
innovation in technologies of interest and value to NASA and the 
nation. Phase 1 of the Deep Space Food Challenge is a prize competition 
with a total prize purse made up of $500,000 USD, (five hundred 
thousand United States dollars) to be awarded to competitor teams for 
the design of novel technologies, systems and approaches for food 
production for long duration space exploration missions. NASA is 
providing the prize purse for U.S. teams, and the Methuselah Foundation 
will be conducting the Challenge on behalf of NASA. NASA is considering 
a Phase 2 (system demonstration phase) of the competition depending on 
the outcome of the Phase 1 competition.

DATES: Challenge registration for Phase 1 opened January 12, 2021, and 
will remain open until the deadlines stated below. No further requests 
for registration will be accepted after the stated deadline.
    Other important dates:

May 28, 2021 Phase 1 Registration Closes for U.S. & Non-Canadian 
International Teams
July 30, 2021 Submissions Due for all Teams
September 2021 Winner(s) Announced

ADDRESSES: Phase 1 of the Deep Space Food Challenge will be conducted 
virtually. The Challenge competitors will develop and submit their 
design proposals from their own location.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To register for or get additional 
information regarding the Deep Space Food Challenge, please visit: 
www.deepspacefoodchallenge.org
    For general information on NASA Centennial Challenges please visit: 
http://www.nasa.gov/challenges. General questions and comments 
regarding the program should be addressed to Monsi Roman, Centennial 
Challenges Program Manager, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center 
Huntsville, AL 35812. Email address: [email protected].
    For general information on the Canadian Space Agency please visit: 
https://www.canada.ca/en/space-agency.html. General questions and 
comments regarding the program should be addressed to [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Summary

    Food is a critical component of human space exploration missions. 
When humans return to the lunar surface, the early missions are 
expected to use prepackaged foods similar to those in use on the 
International Space Station (ISS) today, but extending the duration of 
lunar missions requires reducing resupply dependency on Earth. Thus, 
testing a sustainable system on the Moon that meets lunar crews' needs 
is a fundamental step for both lunar sustainability and will also 
support Mars exploration. As part of this, space agencies are focused 
on how to furnish crew members with a viable system that produces food 
for all long duration space missions. The food system will need to be 
an integrated solution that:

 Provides all daily nutritional needs
 Provides a variety of palatable and safe food choices
 Enables acceptable, safe, and quick preparation methods
 Limits resource requirements with no dependency on direct 
periodic resupply from Earth over durations increasing from months to 
years

    In short, space agencies will need to provide their future crew 
members with nutritious foods they will enjoy eating within all of the 
constraints of current technology for life away from Earth. They must 
also ensure that the process to create, grow, and/or prepare the food 
is not time consuming and not unpleasant. Although there are many food 
systems on Earth that may offer benefits to space travelers, the 
ability of these systems to meet spaceflight demands has not yet been 
established.
    Additionally, food insecurity is a significant chronic problem on 
Earth in urban, rural and harsh environments and communities. In places 
like the Arctic and Canada's North, the cost of providing fresh produce 
on the shelves can be incredibly high. This can also support greater 
food production in other milder environments, including major urban 
centers where vertical farming, urban agriculture and other novel food 
production techniques can play a more significant role.

[[Page 4132]]

    Disasters can also disrupt supply chains, on which all people 
depend, and further aggravate food shortages. Developing compact and 
innovative advanced food system solutions can further enhance local 
production and reduce food supply chain challenges, providing new 
solutions for humanitarian responses to floods and droughts, and new 
technologies for rapid deployment following disasters.
    The Deep Space Food Challenge will identify technology solutions 
that can:
 Help fill food gaps for a three-year round-trip mission with 
no resupply
 Feed a crew of four (4)
 Improve the accessibility of food on Earth, in particular, via 
production directly in urban centers and in remote and harsh 
environments
 Achieve the greatest amount of food output with minimal inputs 
and minimal waste
 Create a variety of palatable, nutritious, and safe foods that 
requires little processing time for crew members

    This Challenge seeks to incentivize Teams to develop novel 
technologies, systems and/or approaches for food production that need 
not meet the full nutritional requirements of future crews, but can 
contribute significantly to and be integrated into a comprehensive food 
system.

I. Prize Amounts

    Up to 20 top scoring U.S. Teams that achieve a score in five or 
more of the scoring categories will receive $25,000 USD each from NASA 
and be invited to compete in Phase 2 (should Phase 2 open for 
competition). Teams must meet the eligibility requirements for the NASA 
Prize in order to be eligible to receive a prize from NASA.

II. Eligibility To Participate and Win Prize Money

    To be eligible to win a prize, competitors must register and comply 
with all requirements in the Official Rules. Interested Teams should 
refer to the official Challenge website 
(www.deepspacefoodchallenge.org) for full details on eligibility and 
registration.

III. Official Rules

    The complete official rules for the Deep Space Food Challenge can 
be found at: www.deepspacefoodchallenge.org.

Nanette Smith,
NASA Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2021-00908 Filed 1-14-21; 8:45 am]
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