Food In Space

1. Food In Space Student Created

2. Project Mercury • The first space mission where food was taken on the trip was the Project Mercury trips of the 1960’s • “The first space foods were unappetizing, to say the least. Most were semi-liquids that were squeezed from tubes and sucked up through straws. There were also bite-sized cubes of compressed and dehydrated foods that were rehydrated by the saliva in the astronauts' mouths”.

3. Gemini • By the Gemini missions of 1965 NASA had developed freeze dried foods that allowed a wide variety of foods to be served. • Freeze dried food was food that was cooked then quickly frozen and dried in a vacuum • To rehydrate the food water was simply added to the package

4. Apollo • The Apollo mission was the first mission to use hot water to rehydrate food. • This was the first mission that spoons were used to eat food instead of squeeze bottles. The wetness from the food made the food cling to the spoon and not float away.

5. Apollo Cont. • “The Apollo mission also introduced thermo stabilized pouches called wet packs. These flexible plastic or aluminum foil pouches kept food moist enough so that it didn't have to be rehydrated. The Apollo crew was able to dine on bacon squares, cornflakes, beef sandwiches, chocolate pudding and tuna salad. As Apollo 8 circled the moon on Christmas Eve 1968, the crew even feasted on fruitcake”.

6. Skylab • The Skylab missions were the first to have large dinning rooms where the astronauts could sit down and eat. It also had on board refrigeration which the current space shuttle does not have • They had 72 different types of menu items in all. • Food warmer trays allowed astronauts to heat their food in-flight.

7. Present day • “By the early 1980s and the launch of the first space shuttle, meals looked almost identical to what astronauts ate on Earth”. • “Astronauts designed their own seven day menus selected from 74 different foods and 20 drinks”. • “They prepared their meals in a galley with a water dispenser and an oven”. • “When the Space Shuttle Discovery launched in 2006, it was clear space food had entered a new realm. Restaurateur and celebrity chef, Emeril Lagasse, designed a menu that included selections like "kicked-up" mashed potatoes, jambalaya and bread pudding (with rum extract since alcohol is not allowed in space)”

8. How do they pick the food? • “Today astronauts have dozens of different foods to choose from. They also play a big part in the selection process. About five months before a mission launches, crewmembers get to visit the Space Food Systems Laboratory at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. At the lab, astronauts act as food critics. They sample 20 to 30 items and rank them on a scale of 1 to 9 in appearance, color, smell, taste and texture. Any food that scores a 6 or higher can make it onto the menu”.

9. How much food do they have? • The space shuttle carries about 3.8 pounds of food, including 1 pound of packaging, per astronaut for each day of the mission. The astronauts get three meals a day, plus snacks. A back-up Safe Haven food system provides an extra 2,000 calories per day, per astronaut. It's designed to sustain the crew for an extra three weeks in case of emergency

10. Where do they get water? • The space shuttle gets its water supply from fuel cells, which produce electricity by combining hydrogen and oxygen -- the main components of water. At the ISS, water is recycled from the cabin air. Because there is little water to spare, most foods on the Space Station are thermo stabilized rather than dehydrated.

11. Future of Space food • NASA plans to grow fruits and vegetables on space farms -- greenhouses that are temperature-controlled, artificially lit and employ a hydroponic system, which uses nutrients instead of typical soil. Crops might include soybeans, peanuts, spinach, cabbage, lettuce and rice. Wheat berries and soybeans can be grown and processed into pasta or bread

12. credits • http://science.howstuffworks.com/space-food4.htm