NASA seeks designs to feed astronauts when resupply is 200 million miles away.

NASA launched the international "Mars to Table" competition to develop systems for growing and producing food on Mars, offering a $750,000 prize for U.S. winners; proposals are due Aug. 21 and winners will be announced in September.

NASA has launched an international challenge called Mars to Table to develop systems that grow and produce food on Mars. The agency is asking for a two-week meal plan and related production ideas, and it says a $750,000 cash prize will be awarded to U.S. citizen winners. Organizers say the competition seeks approaches that operate under extreme constraints to reduce reliance on fragile supply chains and to inform solutions on Earth. Competitors have until Aug. 21 to submit proposals, and winners will be announced in September. Key details: - The competition asks entrants to design systems to grow and produce food on Mars, including a two-week meal plan. - A cash prize of $750,000 will be awarded to U.S. citizen winners; international teams may compete but are not eligible for the prize. - Up to half of the food in an entry may originally come from Earth, indicating a focus on high-nutrition crops. - Proposals are due by Aug. 21 and winners will be announced in September. - NASA notes experiments aboard the International Space Station are informing food planning and highlights risks such as nutrition needs and "menu fatigue" for long missions. - NASA says Mars and Earth can be as close as 33 million miles and as far as 249 million miles apart, which complicates resupply. Summary: The Mars to Table competition aims to develop reliable, resource-efficient food systems for future crewed Mars missions and to bridge space research with terrestrial food challenges. The contest will run on a timeline that includes an Aug. 21 submission deadline and a September announcement of winners, while international participation is allowed though the cash prize is limited to U.S. citizens.