While originally the value of a 3D printer seemed a bit shaky for anyone not planning to make key chains and assorted plastic trinkets, that particular value ratcheted up rather quickly as users discovered that a 3D printer could make a whole lot more than just cheap toys. Now, NASA has issued a $125,000 grant to Anjan Contractor to develop a 3D printer that can create, among other things, a pizza.

The basic idea is that, instead of the normal array of concentrates that NASA might send on a space mission--not to mention maybe helping out with the whole "world hunger" thing--NASA would be able to take a set of standard ingredients with long shelf-lives and package them into a central operation which could then be used to create foods. This would be in much the same way that a current 3D printer takes basic material--usually plastic but also sometimes metals--and compresses and shapes it into the desired whole.

The basic idea here--though it's not yet sure if it would actually work--is that an assortment of powder cartridges could be loaded, then reconstituting and cooking elements like oils and water could be introduced to those powders to create the more malleable constructs of food. The components would then be cooked according to the necessary and correct methods for cooking such components, which are then assembled in a coherent and fully cooked whole. The cartridges in turn are said to have 30-year shelf lives--not really out of line for dehydrated foods, as even Mountain House No. 10 cans claim a 25-year shelf life--and can minimize waste by generating just as much as is needed at the time.

Naturally, there's a fairly high degree of difficulty in something like this--cooking different parts of, in this case a pizza, would require a variety of different cooking methods. However some suggest that pizza--given its layered nature of a crust, then sauce, then cheese and toppings--may well lend itself well to the 3D printing process, as each part could be tackled separately according to the various idiosyncrasies in its construction. From there, chocolate can serve as a dessert, since chocolate is sufficiently malleable to be made into most any shape while also tasting great.

Perhaps more interesting is that both the hardware and the software are said to be open source, so other developers will be able to start getting in on the plans themselves, and ultimately potentially reaching the point where a pizza recipe can be uploaded to the Web, copied and used on a home 3D printer.

3D printing is clearly coming into its own. Printing everything from handguns to prosthetic devices is already being done on at least some level, and as the technology improves, it's set to deeply destabilize several industries as they are known today. With so many tasks potentially available to the 3D printer, it's safe to say that few industries won't end up changed by it, though the thought that food service might be impacted is a strange one.

Will pizza restaurants go to a 3D printed menu? Will some be able to offer high-end service claiming pizza made by hand? It remains to be seen just what impact this ultimately has, but dinner at NASA may soon be a much more high-tech endeavor.