[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 15 (Monday, January 24, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3589-3590]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-01310]


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NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

[Notice: (22-006)]


Notice of Deep Space Food Challenge Phase 2

AGENCY: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

ACTION: Notice of Deep Space Food Challenge Phase 2.

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SUMMARY: Phase 2 of the Deep Space Food Challenge is open, and teams 
that wish to compete may now register. NASA seeks to stimulate research 
and technology solutions to support future missions and inspire new 
national aerospace capabilities through public prize competitions 
called Centennial Challenges. The Deep Space Food Challenge is one such 
competition. Centennial Challenges are managed at NASA's Marshall Space 
Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama and are part of the Prizes, 
Challenges, and Crowdsourcing program within NASA's Space Technology 
Mission Directorate at the agency's Headquarters in Washington. Phase 2 
of the Deep Space Food Challenge is a prize competition with a total 
prize purse of $1,000,000 USD, (one million United States dollars) to 
be awarded to Competitor Teams that build and successfully demonstrate 
prototypes of novel technologies, systems and approaches for food 
production for long duration space exploration missions. Teams are not 
required to have participated in Phase 1 and must meet eligibility 
requirements in order to participate. 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 3 (full system 
demonstration phase) of the competition depending on the outcome of the 
Phase 2 competition.

DATES: Challenge registration for Phase 2 opened January 20, 2022 and 
will remain open until February 28, 2022. No further requests for 
registration will be accepted after the stated deadline. Other 
important dates, including deadlines for key deliverables from the 
Teams, are listed on the Challenge website: deepspacefoodchallenge.org.

ADDRESSES: Phase 2 of the Deep Space Food Challenge requires 
competitors to

[[Page 3590]]

build and demonstrate their prototypes at their own facility. Required 
samples from the prototypes will be sent to external laboratories for 
testing as described in the Official Rules document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To register for or get additional 
information regarding the Deep Space Food Challenge, please visit: 
deepspacefoodchallenge.org.
    Questions and comments regarding the challenge 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 NASA 
prize competitions, challenges, and crowdsourcing opportunities, please 
visit: nasa.gov/solve.
    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. Solutions from the Deep Space 
Food Challenge could be part of the larger food system as 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.
    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 crew of 4 for a three-year round-
trip mission with no resupply
 Improve the accessibility of food on Earth, in particular, via 
production directly in urban centers and in remote and harsh 
environments
 Achieve maximum 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

    Phase 2 of the Deep Space Food Challenge has a total prize purse of 
$1,000,000 USD, (one million United States dollars).
    Up to 10 top scoring U.S. Teams will be named ``finalists'' and 
will receive $20,000 USD each from NASA and will move on to compete in 
the final on-site demonstration.
    After the final on-site demonstration up to 5 top scoring U.S. 
Teams will each be awarded $150,000 USD each and be invited to compete 
in Phase 3 (should Phase 3 open for competition).
    Additionally, a total of $50,000 USD will be available for bonus 
prizes for up to 5 U.S. Teams to be awarded when finalists Teams are 
announced. U.S. Teams do not need to be named as a finalist in order to 
be awarded a bonus prize.
    U.S. Teams must meet the eligibility requirements for the NASA 
Prize in order 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 (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: deepspacefoodchallenge.org.

Deborah F. Bloxon,
NASA Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2022-01310 Filed 1-21-22; 8:45 am]
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