Warning: It Get’s Spicy

Build Your Own Playground

How can food be celebrated for astronauts on mars? /reacreating earth’s food palette and environmen in partnership with Rithika Vedapuri

Food serves as a central element for culture and conversation on Earth, bringing people together in meaningful ways. However, the experience of food is quite different for astronauts in space. Due to the effects of reduced gravity on their body fluids, their sense of taste is altered, leaving many foods tasting bland and affecting their body’s absorption of necessary nutrients.

“From the early 1960s, astronauts found that their taste buds did not seem to be as effective when they were in space” scan for complete research

The Spice Garden project seeks to address this problem and celebrate the experience of food in space. By incorporatingspices into the astronauts’ diet, the project enhances the flavor of their food while also providing essential antioxidants and other health benefits that strengthen the immune system.

Located at the Jezero Crater, a site chosen by NASA, the spice garden is imagined as a prosthetic to an existing martian facility - at the center of a habitat torus, the Garden on Mars focuses on five specific spices that are most suitable for Martian growing conditions. After extensive research into the origins, foods, and flavor profiles created by different spices, the project has chosen to grow chili and ginger from Asia, sumac from the Middle East, and basil and oregano from the West. Each of these species thrives in different climate conditions, offering a unique opportunity to simulate