Simunauts’ stellar summer: CFAES students shine in NASA challenge
Simunauts’ stellar summer: CFAES students shine in NASA challenge
The simunauts working on the NASA Deep Space Challenge in the CFAES Wilbur A. Gould Food Industries Center. Photos by Ken Chamberlain
Some of the food created by the simunauts during the NASA Deep Space ChallengeBy Tracy Turner
COLUMBUS, Ohio — In a unique collaboration with NASA this summer, four students from The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) embarked on a gastronomic quest that could help shape future space missions and earthly food sustainability.
Dubbed “simunauts,” these four students were handpicked to participate in the NASA Deep Space Food Challenge, testing cutting-edge food production technologies designed for long-duration space missions. This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity not only advanced the students’ skills but also brought them closer to their career aspirations.
Fuanyi Fobellah, a native of Columbus majoring in food business management with a minor in business, known as simunaut “Fury,” reflected on the unique opportunity.
“I’m glad that Ohio State was able to partner with NASA for this opportunity,” he said. “It’s really cool that we Ohio State students were the only ones given this chance, and I’m really thankful for it.
“It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I’m glad I was able to capitalize on it”Fuanyi Fobellah
“It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I’m glad I was able to capitalize on it.”
The challenge involved simulating a three-year space mission, where the simunauts operated novel technologies without direct aid from the teams that developed them.
“A lot of what we did over the summer was operate these technologies, start them up, shut them down, harvest when we could, and collect data,” explained Sakura Sugiyama, a 2024 food science graduate from Athens whose simunaut name is “Potato.” “This experience has helped me grow my skills even more and confirmed that I really enjoy doing this.”
Mehr Un Nisa, or “Thailzz,” a CFAES graduate student from Pakistan, said as an international student, she found the experience particularly enriching.
“As an international student, it was already a big opportunity for me to be part of OSU. Then this opportunity came, and it was a blessing,” Nisa said. “I learned a lot of skills, like growing my own plants and working with food production technologies.
“It was a dream for me to work with NASA, and this internship brought me one step closer to my ultimate career goal.
From left to right: Sakura Sugiyama, Charlie Frick, Fuanyi Fobellah and Mehr Un Nisa receive honors during the NASA Deep Space Challenge award ceremony. Charlie Frick, a senior majoring in animal sciences from New Concord known as “Farmboy,” enjoyed the sensory testing aspect of the challenge.
“Cooking is one of my passions, and it was very fun to cook for people and have it sensory-tested,” he said. “My critical thinking improved a lot during this internship.
“When something broke, it was up to us to figure out how to fix it with what we had. This experience has opened my eyes to what I could do in the future.”
The simunauts’ mission went beyond mere experimentation; they were tasked with ensuring nutritional adequacy through efficient food systems that could also address earthly challenges such as urban food scarcity.
They tested food production technologies that aimed to fill food gaps; enhance food accessibility in urban centers and harsh environments; maximize food output with minimal inputs and waste; and create palatable, nutritious, and safe foods.
The conclusion of the Deep Space Food Challenge, held Aug. 16 at the Nationwide & Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center, featured demonstrations from the simunauts, showcasing their hard work and the novel technologies they operated. Of the four teams competing for a $1 million prize, Interstellar Lab received $750,000, while Nolux and SATED each received $250,000.
“This internship helped shape my career goals because it showed me what was possible and broadened my perspective on future opportunities,” Fobellah said in reflecting on his work with NASA this summer. “It definitely sparked an interest in what I could be doing in the future.”
The simunauts’ stellar summer not only advanced space food technology but also inspired a new generation of scientists and researchers ready to tackle the challenges of tomorrow, both in space and on Earth.
“I feel really privileged to have been able to be a part of this,” Sugiyama said. “I enjoyed working with my fellow simunauts and working on these novel technologies and to kind of be at the forefront of developing new technology for food and space.”
Nisa agrees.
“It was a dream for me to always work for NASA or the labs or the organization related to it,” she said. “With this internship, I had the opportunity to be one step closer to my ultimate career goal. And I feel happy about that, that I am now in the circle.”
Frick said he also gained a lot from the experience.
“This internship has helped me open my eyes to what I could do and how I can use this internship to get other jobs.”
