Five winners receive $650,000 in NASA contest for Mars food systems

NASA’s Mars food-systems challenge awarded $650,000 to five winners. Philadelphia’s Chinyere Ukeje won the $300,000 top prize for a modular fresh-meal concept designed to work through resource or crew-time shortages for a 15-person crew’s 500-sol mission.

The challenge drew 113 entries from 33 countries. The second- through fifth-place winners shared the remaining $350,000. NASA said it sought integrated food systems for safe, nutritious meals; 500 Martian sols amount to about 513 Earth days.