The Download: future space food, and EV battery swapping
The future of space food could be as simple—and weird—as a protein shake made with astronaut breath or a burger made from fungus.
For decades, astronauts have relied mostly on pre-packaged food, or the occasional grown lettuce, during their forays off our planet. With missions beyond Earth orbit in sight, a NASA-led competition is hoping to change all that and usher in a new era of sustainable space food.
To solve the problem of feeding astronauts on long-duration missions, NASA asked companies to propose novel ways to develop sustainable foods for future missions. Around 200 rose to the challenge—creating nutritious (and outlandish) culinary creations in the process. Read the full story.
—Jonathan O’Callaghan
How 5-minute battery swaps could get more EVs on the road
Charging is the main way people keep their EV batteries full of juice while on the go. But some companies have an alternative that could be even quicker than the fastest chargers today: battery swapping.
But while proponents say battery swapping could help strengthen the case for EVs by making it faster to replenish a car’s range, some experts are skeptical—viewing battery swapping as an expensive solution that will at best serve a narrow niche within the future of electric transportation. Read the full story.
—Casey Crownhart
