NASA Is Looking To Turn Poop Into Food

NASA was successful in their study of growing vegetables in space that started in May 2014. Then news emerged that NASA was also trying to turn human waste into reusable fuel in space. Now the space agency has taken things to another level - but will you be able to digest it?

NASA has been granted $200,000 for a project that will turn human stool into man-made food. They received $1.6 million in grants for a three-year period. In a press release, the agency said, "Technology drives exploration, and investments in these technologies and technologists is essential to ensure NASA and the nation have the capabilities necessary to meet the challenges we will face as we journey to Mars. The faculty selected and their colleagues help assure a robust university research community dedicated to advanced space technology development."

The project is called Synthetic Biliogy for Recycling Human Waste into Food, Nutraceuticls, and Materials: Closing the Loop for Long-Term Space Travel. It is run by Mark Blenner of Clemson University in South Carolina.

"These early career researchers will provide fuel for NASA's innovation engine," Steve Jurczyk, associate administrator for NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate.

NASA has relied on commercial carriers like SpaceX and Orbital Sciences to traverse into space and deliver supply to the International Space Station. Delays and explosions have proven that NASA has to be ready for a situation where no supplies would be able to be sent to the ISS.

Space food has improved much over the last few years and human-waste being used, as food has to be seen as innovation rather than something morbid. As of now, however, space veggies are opening the frontier of space food for astronauts.

"As NASA moves toward long-duration exploration missions farther into the solar system, Veggie will be a resource for crew food growth and consumption", explained NASA, in a statement.