Meet the Romanian-born innovator bringing crumb-free bread to space

Astronauts are currently denied the simple pleasure of a sandwich, but that’s about to change: Romanian-born German scientist Sebastian Marcu has set up Bake in Space, a company working to make bread a possibility in space.

Bake In Space anticipate that their microgravity oven, currently in development and to be built by OHB System AG, will bake bread aboard the International Space Station in 2018.

“The current quality of life offered on board the International Space Station is not a sustainable condition for humans, and is part of the problem that makes it difficult to send astronauts further to the Moon and to Mars for extended periods of time and make space accessible for tourism,” Mr Marcu told Romania Insider.

Bread has long been banned on spacecraft, due to the potential fatal pitfalls of crumbs getting into electrical or ventilation systems, not to mention the danger of inhalation. As a result, tortillas have commonly stood in. Without meaning to do any disservice to the flatbread, Bake in Space is hoping to give astronauts a better taste of home by creating a space-version of a typical German bread roll.

Want to try space bread here on Earth? No fear, Mr Marcu believes it might soon be landing in a store near you as its own distinct bread type.

“Wherever it’s produced, it has a unique flavour that is linked to the bacteria in the immediate surroundings of the dough. We expect that sourdough from space will have its own unique flavour,” he commented.

Source: Romania Insider