Food could soon be transmitted to astronauts via 3D printers!

Bringing science fiction closer to reality, US space agency NASA yesterday announced that it would fund the construction of the world's first 3D food printer, which when fully developed could transmit food to astronauts.

NASA has given a grant of $125,000 to mechanical engineer Anjan Contractor, who has already designed the machine. And the space agency hopes it will eventually be able to provide food for those on ultra-long-distance journeys through outer space.

Some commentators also say the design is just as exciting for us earthlings, as the machine could eventually become a standard kitchen appliance. Families would then be able to simply print off their dinner, rather than spend time preparing it.

The food printer is fed on cartridges of powders and oils containing all the nutrients needed for a healthy diet - even if they are made from yucky substances like insects and grass.

The printer would work in much the same way as a standard printer's ink cartridges. The ingredients are sprayed on layer-by-layer by the 3D printer, eventually creating solid three-dimensional food.

It is also thought the printers might help cut food waste globally, as the cartridges wouldn't go out of date for over 30 years and need only be refilled when they had completely run out.

''I think, and many economists think, that current food systems can't supply 12 billion people sufficiently," Contractor told Quartz magazine. ''So we eventually have to change our perception of what we see as food.''

Once it is up and running, Contractor will test the machine by trying to print a pizza, which was an obvious choice due to its flat shape.

The dough will be printed first, then the tomato base, then the "protein-layer" topping.

3D printing hit headlines recently when a group of American anarchists created a 3D printed gun and published the designs globally, allowing anyone with a 3D printer to create a usable firearm  (See:  US government orders removal of 3D printer-made gun blueprints from the web).