Space Crickets
We entered the NASA Deep Space Food Challenge. Follow us on our journey to get crickets to Mars.
Challenge Mission
Good food for healthier, happier humans in space and on Earth.
The Deep Space Food Challenge is an international competition where NASA offers prize purse awards to U.S. teams and recognition to international teams. Teams are invited to create novel and game-changing food technologies or systems that require minimal inputs and maximize safe, nutritious, and palatable food outputs for long-duration space missions, and which have potential to benefit people on Earth.
Born Explorers
Since crickets already love to being upside down, zero gravity doesn’t bother them. Try doing that with a cow! Plus, crickets have already been to space.
Respect
Crickets can be raised and harvested at the end of their life cycle while in hibernation so astronauts can feel good about powering exploration with their little buddies.
Self Sufficient
Crickets are a long term solution, reproducing along the journey and arriving at their destination ready to help build an ecosystem capable of supporting life.
Reminder Of What’s Important
Crickets are very auspicious and have been raised as pets for hundreds of years. Their song brings to mind peaceful summer nights, and they are fun to watch! This provides astronauts a much needed psychological break and reminder of home during long duration missions.
Influence
Tang wasnt popular until it travelled to the stars with NASA. Public education is necessary to popularize crickets as a food source here on Earth. Space Crickets are the perfect Gateway Bug!
Keep It Simple
Space travel is incredibly complex, but raising crickets for food can be done reliably with very simple and low tech solutions. This makes them a great partner for space travel and places on Earth experiencing food insecurity.