Space food

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Space food are food products, specially created and processed for consumption by astronauts in outer space.

Contents 1 Early History 1.1 Russian 1.1.1 Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (1975) 1.2 United States 1.2.1 Project Mercury (1959-1963) 1.2.2 Project Gemini (1965-1966) 1.2.3 Apollo program (1961-1975) 1.2.4 Skylab (1973-1974) 2 Modern 2.1 US Space Program 2.1.1 Korean 2.1.2 Jewish 2.2 Russian Space Program 2.3 Chinese Space Program 3 Processing 4 Packaging 5 Types 6 References 7 External links

[edit] Early History

[edit] Russian

[edit] Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (1975)

The astronauts of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project received samples of Soviet space food when the combined crew dined together. Among the foods provided by Soyuz 19 were canned beef tongue, packaged Riga bread, and tubes of borscht and caviar. The borscht was labeled "vodka" as a joke.

[edit] United States

When John Glenn became the first American to orbit the earth in 1962, he had many tasks to perform, one of which was experimentation with the consumption of food in weightless conditions. While Glenn found this task easy, some experts were concerned that because of the weightless conditions found in space food would be difficult to swallow and therefore collect in the throat. They discovered that the natural process of swallowing was not impaired by microgravity.

[edit] Project Mercury (1959-1963)

Astronauts who followed John Glenn in other Mercury missions had trouble coping with the food forced upon them. This food consisted of bite-sized cubes, freeze-dried powders and semiliquids crammed into tubes. Not only did the astronauts find this food unappetizing but they had trouble rehydrating the freeze-dried food, disliked squeezing tubes and they also had to collect any crumbs.

[edit] Project Gemini (1965-1966)

Food was changed for the Gemini missions. The tubes were one of the first things to go as the container weighed more than the food inside. Improvements were made to the bite-sized cubes: they were covered in gelatin to help stop the crumbling. A method to help make rehydrating foods easier was also invented. These, however, were not the only changes made - there were also significant changes made to the menu. A typical meal for these astronauts now included shrimp cocktail, chicken and vegetables, toast squares, butterscotch pudding, and apple juice.

Astronaut John Young brought an unauthorized corned beef sandwich aboard the Gemini III mission and offered it to Virgil "Gus" Grissom. This resulted in potentially hazardous crumbs floating around the cabin of the spacecraft in the microgravity environment.^[1]

[edit] Apollo program (1961-1975)

Food variety was greatly increased for the Apollo missions and astronauts now had access to hot water which could be used to make rehydrating much easier and even improved the way the food tasted. The “spoon-bowl” also was introduced and used in the Apollo missions. This was used to allow the astronauts to eat more normally as they did on earth. This was achieved by the food being kept in a special plastic container which was then opened with a plastic zip. The moisture in the food helped it stick to the spoon.

[edit] Skylab (1973-1974)

The Skylab space station offered a large amount of space, permitting the use of a refrigerator and freezer on-board. This permitted the storage of perishable and frozen food items, and thus food only needed to be treated to deal with microgravity. Menus often included processed meat products (such as steak) and ice cream. There was also enough space for a dining room. The chairs and table used on the spacecraft were fastened to the floor to prevent their unwanted movement. The astronauts were prevented from floating around the room by foot and thigh restraints. Their meals were kept in food trays which also warmed the food. Knives, forks, spoons, and scissors (used in opening the food) were held down magnetically to the food tray. Therefore, eating on Skylab was relatively normal.

When Skylab was launched, one of the main solar panels and the sunshield were ripped off by aerodynamic forces, causing damage to the other main solar panel and leaving the station powered solely by the Apollo Telescope Mount. The station only had minimal power until the Skylab 2 crew arrived and effected repairs. The refrigerator and freezer were among the systems that Mission Control could keep operational, and they suffered minimally from the lack of heat dissipation until contingency measures could be installed by the Skylab 2 crew. A total loss of power or extended lack of heat dissipation would have resulted in a loss of Skylab's perishable foods and crippled at least the first mission.

[edit] Modern

Today fruit and vegetables are eaten in space although limited to those which can keep at room temperature, thereby able to be considered as meal choices for a space flight. Astronauts also have a greater variety when it comes to their entrées, creating a personal menu from an approved list of foods (e.g., fruit salad and spaghetti).

Beef jerky is sometimes carried on the Space Shuttle, at astronaut request. It is lightweight, nutritious, and can be utilized in orbit without packaging or other changes.

[edit] US Space Program

[edit] Korean

In April, 2008, South Korea’s first astronaut, Yi So-yeon was a crew member on the International Space Station, and brought a special version of Korea's national dish, kimchee. According to the [New York Times} "Three top government research institutes spent millions of dollars and several years perfecting a version of kimchi that would not turn dangerous when exposed to cosmic rays or other forms of radiation and would not put off non-Korean astronauts with its pungency"^[2]

[edit] Jewish

In June, 2008, Gregory Chamitoff, brought the first bagels into space, 3 bags (18 sesame seed bagels) with him, on STS-124 for ISS Expedition 17. These were standard bagels straight out of the oven, from his cousin's bagel bakery, Fairmount Bagel. ^{[3] [4]}

[edit] Russian Space Program

Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion.

[edit] Chinese Space Program

Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion.

[edit] Processing

Designing food for consumption in space is difficult. Foods must meet a number of criteria to be considered fit for space; first, the food must be physiologically appropriate, specifically, it must be nutritious, easily digestible, and palatable. Second, the food must be engineered for consumption in a zero gravity environment. As such, the food should be light, well packaged, quick to serve, and easy to clean up (foods that tend to leave crumbs, for example, are ill-suited for space). Finally, foods must require a minimum of energy expenditure throughout their use, i.e., they should store well, open easily, and leave little waste behind.

Carbonated drinks have been tried in space, but are not favored due to changes in burping caused by microgravity. ^[5] Coca-Cola and Pepsi were first carried on STS-51-F in 1985. Coca-Cola has flown on subsequent missions in a specially-designed dispenser that utilizes BioServe Space Technologies hardware used for biochemical experiments. Space Station Mir carried cans of Pepsi in 1996.

[edit] Packaging

Packaging for space food serves the primary purposes of preserving and containing the food. The packaging however should also be light-weight, easy to dispose, and help in the preparation of the food for consumption. The packaging also includes a bar-coded label, which allows for the tracking of an astronaut's diet. The labels also specify the food's preparation instructions in both English and Russian^[5].

Many foods from the Russian space program are packaged in cans and tins^[6]. These are heated through electro-resistive (ohmic) methods, opened with a can-opener, and the food inside consumed directly. Russian soups are hydrated and consumed directly from their packages.^[7]

NASA space foods are packaged in composite retorts similar to that found in US Army MREs ^[6].

[edit] Types

There are several classification for food that is sent into space ^[8]:

• Beverages (B) - Various rehydratable drinks.
• Fresh Foods (FF)- Foods that spoil quickly that needs to be eaten within the first two days of flight to prevent spoilage.
• Irradiated (I) Meat - Beef steak that is specially packaged and sterilized with ionizing radiation.
• Intermediate Moisture (IM) - Foods that have some moisture but not enough to cause immediate spoilage.
• Natural Form (NF) - Mostly unprocessed foods such as nuts, cookies and granola bars that are ready to eat.
• Rehydratable (R) Foods - Foods that have been dehydrated and allowed to rehydrate in hot water prior to consumption.
• Thermostabilized (T) - Foods that have been processed with heat to destroy microorganisms and enzymes that may cause spoilage.

More common staples and condiments do not have a classification and are known simply by the item name:

• Shelf Stable Tortillas - Tortillas that have been heat treated, specially package in an oxygen free nitrogen atmosphere to prevent the growth of mold.
• Condiments - Liquid salt solution, oily pepper paste, mayonnaise, ketchup, and mustard.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• NASA space food information page
• History of Food in Space by NASA
• Indian Space Food History
• Beyond Tang: Food in Space