NEWS FROM THE FUTURE: Solving the million tonne space puzzle
An army can’t march on an empty stomach
16 January 2024 - 05:00
Dateline: January 13 2033
As basic as it might sound, until we solve cryogenic sleep, the key to space travel and colonising asteroids and far-off planets involves food … tonnes and tonnes of food! An average human needs 2,500 calories per day, or roughly 4.5kg. So, for a round trip to Mars, estimated to take 14 months, there needs to be about 1,860kg of food per person on the ship. If we round the total up to 2 tonnes (per person), we can also spend one month on (or around) Mars for work or research...
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