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Spinoff story
Deep-Space Food Science Research Improves 3D-Printing Capabilities
A real-world story of NASA technology finding a life beyond the mission.
About this technology
Overview
Maintaining astronauts’ nutrition becomes harder the farther they go from Earth. Contemplating sending astronauts as far away as Mars, Johnson Space Center took one company up on a proposal to explore 3D-printing foods, awarding SBIR funding. After the company built a prototype, one of its senior engineers adapted it to print pizzas to sell on the ground. He founded BeeHex, based in Columbus, Ohio, altered his Chef 3D device to decorate cookies for customers, and is now working on printing custom breakfast bars based on individuals’ nutritional needs.