Sustaining Astronauts: Resource Limitations, Technology Needs, and Parallels between Spaceflight Food Systems and those on Earth

Food and nutrition are critical to health performance therefore the success of human space exploration. However, shelf-stable food system currently in use on International Space Station is not sustainable as missions become longer further from Earth, even with modification for mass water efficiencies. Here, we provide a potential approach toward sustainability phased addition bioregenerative foods over course NASA’s current mission plans. Significant advances both knowledge technology still needed inform nutrition, acceptability, safety, reliability, resource integration trades between other systems. Sustainability goals Earth driving similar research into solutions infusion across spaceflight that benefits both.