Question

Eating in space is another problem that 3-D printers may be able to help solve in the future. Engineers are working on systems that can print pizza, enchiladas, and even cookies. The printers store powders like flour and micronutrients like vitamin C, which keep for years, not months. When it’s time for dinner, a mixing center combines the ingredients. Then they are fed into the printer. In less time than it takes for a pizza delivery at home, the printer bakes a fresh, hot meal in space.​Box ends

A 3-D printer printing a pizza.A 3-D printer printing a pizza. A circle of dough covered with sauce and cheese sits on a flat surface covered with paper. Above it, there is a machine with three nozzles. The sauce comes out of one nozzle and the cheese comes out of another nozzle.
3-D printers like this one may one day make pizza and other meals for astronauts.


Just how big of an impact 3-D printing will have on the future of space exploration is yet to be seen. But it’s starting to seem pretty likely that the spaceships that carry the first humans to Mars, the outer planets, and other star systems, will have at least one 3-D printer aboard.

end of part 4
Activity

Reread the part of the passage in the box. What is the purpose of this paragraph?

to explain how 3-D printers can solve the problem of making food in space

to discuss the problem of storing food powders and nutrients safely

to share astronauts’ views on the taste of foods prepared by 3-D printers

to compare the nutritional value of various food choices for astronauts

Answer 1

to explain how 3-D printers can solve the problem of making food in space

The paragraph describes how printers store long-lasting powders, combine ingredients, and print/bake fresh meals, showing how they address the challenge of preparing food in space.