FOOD IN SPACE!

By Noa and Reina

What Are They?

• What it sounds like!• Food eaten in space by astronauts

How are they prepared?• Freeze-dried because liquid based

foods are hard to maintain when the shuttle takes off to space

• No refrigerator

History In Improving Space Food

• Mercury Project (1958):• John Glenn-> America’s 1st

to eat anything on near weightless environment of Earth’s orbit

• Bite sized cubes, freeze-dried powders, semi liquid packages in aluminum tubes..etc

History continued…• Gemini Mission (1965):• Bite sized cubes where

coated with gelatin to reduce crumbling

• Freeze-dried food wrapped in special plastic containers to make constituting easier

• Quality of the food improved

History continued…

• Apollo Program (1968):

• Able to have hot water

• 1st to use utensils on a shuttle

• Thermostabilized pouches were introduced

SKYLAB

• New space vehicle featuring dining area

• Provides 72 different food items

• Now space crafts are able to have refrigerator and a freezer

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Methods of Eating

• Since the food has been dehydrated, before eating, the astronaut must re-hydrate his/her meal

• If the meal is not rehydrated, it is not even considered edible

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Whats on the Menu?

• Astronauts can dine on beef stroganoff, chicken teriyaki to turkey tetrazzini

• The astronauts meal plan is decided by themselves well before their anticipated shuttle launch

• The astronauts food is attached to his meal tray, which is attached to his lap, so nothing floats freely in 0 gravity

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• Although many normal kinds of foods would be unable to last the duration of the time the astronauts are in orbit, there are a few exceptions

• Assorted nuts, granola bars, and cookies are for instance some of the more normal foods that can be brought on board

Some “Normal” Foods

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In Conclusion• All in all, we can say the quality of dining must

be sacrificed in order for a human to enjoy the marvels of space

• Perhaps meal choices, and the quality of meals can be improved in the future, but for now, space travel itself is the biggest issue on the table

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• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l14L1pcp9vY

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azq2kTCfpPQ