UH Hilo Students Win NASA Deep Space Prize

Two University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo students earned a $50,000 award for a Mars-ready food system.

Updated on Oct. 28, 2026 in Healthy Food

UH Hilo Students Win NASA Deep Space Prize

Live Poll

Should modern food systems incorporate traditional indigenous farming techniques to improve sustainability?

University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo students Leilani Jensen and Raven Kromer won a $50,000 prize in the NASA Deep Space Food Challenge: Mars to Table. Their zero-waste design adapts the ancient Hawaiian ahupuaʻa system to provide sustainable nutrition for astronauts.

Why it matters

The project emphasizes long-term resilience and complete nutrient cycling, offering a new approach to supporting deep space exploration. It demonstrates how Indigenous land management techniques can be successfully applied to future extraterrestrial environments.

The design utilizes four integrated ecological zones and a database of 200 mapped crops to sustain astronauts for a two-week period. The project was selected as one of five winners out of more than 100 entries in the NASA competition.

The players

Leilani Jensen

She is a student at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo who plans to study sustainable agriculture and Indigenous resource management at the University of Otago.

Raven Kromer

She is a student at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo who has been accepted to study icy moon missions at the University of Kent.

NASA

The United States government agency responsible for the nation's civilian space program and aeronautics research.

The details

By linking aquaculture, hydroponics, orchards, and field crops, the team created a system where waste from one zone fuels the next. The students utilized custom USDA nutritional tools to curate a comprehensive two-week menu for space travel.

April 2026: Students discovered the NASA competition.
May 2026: Work began on the project.
Summer 2026: Students tested menu items.
Spring 2027: The students are expected to graduate.

Culture Shift

This project represents a significant departure from conventional space agriculture by prioritizing ancient Indigenous resource management over standardized industrial solutions. It highlights a growing movement toward blending traditional ecological wisdom with modern space-age technology.

This win provides the students with funding to pursue advanced degrees at international universities. Residents can see how localized knowledge of sustainable farming systems can lead to national recognition in scientific research.

The takeaway

The project proves that ancient farming wisdom offers viable, sustainable solutions for complex modern challenges. Students looking to innovate should consider how blending traditional land practices with new technology can lead to significant scientific breakthroughs.