Ottawa students researching tasty delicacy for astronauts: Crickets

Team Insecta, a student research team in Carleton University’s Department of Biology, is exploring the suitability of crickets as a food source in space.

On July 22, the student research team will lead the Canadian Reduced Gravity Experiment (CAN-RGX), where they will fly with 160 crickets on a jet to pseudo-space where micro-gravity can be stimulated.

Led by professors Heath MacMillan and Sue Bertram it will set out to determine whether insects can fare outside the Earth’s atmosphere.

“Sustainable food is a pressing issue on Earth, but as human find themselves spending more time in space it will become an equally pressing problem outside our atmosphere,” said a representative from Carleton University.

Space agencies are struggling to provide astronauts with nutritious, easy-to-grow food that is sustainable in a zero-gravity environment.

Carleton’s student research team has taken it upon themselves to investigate the viability of insects as food for space travel.

Their research has found that crickets’ low-resource requirements make them opportune candidates for space travel. Additionally, the edible insects are shown to have high nutritional value and provide a significant source of protein.

“Insects have a higher protein-to-weight ratio than traditional livestock such as cows and pigs, which require more food and living space,” said a representative from Carleton University.

Crickets could serve as a viable alternative to pre-packaged and frozen foods, typically consumed by space crews, they added.

During the Canadian Reduced Gravity Experiment Design Challenge, Carleton students will have the opportunity design and test a scientific experiment on board the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) Falcon 20.

According to Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS Canada), the spacecraft has been modified for reduced gravity flight in association with the Canadian Space Agency.

This environment will “simulate microgravity conditions by flying in consecutive parabolic waves,” wrote Carleton University in a press release.

Team Insecta will then study how the crickets respond to the exposure, in the months following the flight campaign, a university representative added.