Last year NASA funded one man’s plan to build a food 3D printer for astronauts – and now the first prototype can 3D print an entire pizza! Some of these initial pies may not look like much, but the man behind the project, mechanical engineer Anjan Contractor, intends to perfect his edible design.
In 2013, NASA granted a contract to a companycalled Systems and Materials Research Consultancy of Austin, Texas to develop ways to use 3-D printing technology to create food for astronauts on space stations or deep space missions. It looks like the company has succeeded, according to a January 27, 2014 piece in NDTV with the first 3-D printed pizza. “The printer would be able to lay out all the starches, proteins, fats, texture, and structure, spraying on flavour, smell, and micro-nutrients at the end, Contractor from Texas-based Systems & Materials Research Corporation said.”