Astronauts Will Satiate Their Hunger With Poop

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<h2>Astronauts Will Satiate Their Hunger With Poop</h2>

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The US space agency has funded researchers to find out the ways to recycle human excreta into food that will help astronauts to survive on deeper missions and carry on with their research and findings. The researchers at Clemson University in South Carolina will receive $200,000 a year for up to three years to achieve this task, the US space agency said in a statement.

Mark Blenner, a professor in Clemson University's chemical and bioengineering department, is genetically engineering yeast to produce things that astronauts may need. He will be using urine and breathed out carbon dioxide as the building blocks to create useful onboard items. Blenner's system would grow yeast that could take those lipids and nitrogen and turn them into plastics and Omega 3s.

"If you want to send people into space for a long period of time, you can't go down to the Home Depot to get screws, or the market to get food; it's difficult, as space is at a premium," said Blenner.

"A particular strain of yeast can be genetically manipulated to create polymers, or plastics, used for 3D printing, as well as Omega 3s, which lower heart disease risk, and protect skin and hair," He added. The US space agency plans to land humans on mars by 2030, and so, they have granted Blenner to go ahead with the research provided with the ultimatum of 3 years.
 
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