We can soon expect a “working prototype with limited efficiency” of 3D-printed pizza from the N.C. State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and an engineering company from Texas.

Having a 3D printer able to 3D print hot food in zero-gravity will reduce waste and optimize storage. The challenge engineers are facing now is making the 3D-printed food appealing to astronauts. No surprise there – who wants science fiction food?

“This process involves not only finding liquid and solid pizza materials with optimal viscosities and consistencies to pass through a 3-D printer and onto a pan —a task typically not assigned to printer cartridges —but also finding a multi-use nozzle which can apply the right amount of each different ingredient successfully and consistently.”