What do astronauts eat in space? - VastlyCurious

    Food is a really important thing in space travel, the astronauts won't like eating unpleasant food in tubes. The food menu was very short and the food they had on the list during the start of the space-age was obnoxious and nasty. The food is not just for nutrition, it also keeps astronauts feeling they are not far from home. Astronauts are best of the best-talented people on the Earth, but they are still humans and so they need proper tasty food for them inspired in the long stay in space. A proper food menu keeps them both physically and mentally fit in the International space station. 

Astronaut and STS-46 commander Loren J. Shriver eating chocolates in the space station.
source: kennedyspacecenter.com

Who decides the menu for the space station?

    The Astronaut's food is prepared by the food technologists in the food labs. Astronauts have to rate their food in the space centre on a scale of 1-10. They also have an extra supply of military food in airtight packets and they are called Irradiated food which was later named thermally stabilized food. Salt and pepper cannot be used in space because they would fly around the space station due to the zero gravity. Good food psychologically benefits the astronauts and so they are processed and packed pretty well. All the packed foods will have a colour code on them to identify who's food is that. All the astronauts have a colour code in all their gears. They take their respective food (with their colour code on it) from the food storage. 

 

How is food processed and packed?

    The packaging of food on Earth is done simply by covering it with a container or bottles which could be kept fresh by the refrigerators. The edibles which could get spoiled like meat, fruits and vegetables are usually wrapped in a box or a case which are also maintained at the ideal temperature. But in space, we don't have the luxury of maintaining the temperature of the food items. There is not even a refrigerator present in the International space station (ISS). The food that goes into space needs to be compact, easy to prepare, nutritious and also must taste good. The packaging supplies and techniques are devised so that it reduces the spoils.

Packeted food with colour codes. source: Johnson Space Center'

    The food needs to satisfy the astronauts in space and so there have many research and development done by the food technologists to improve the taste of the food. Nobody wants to eat artificial food in space, they would want to have at least some of their preferred meal in the space menu. These packets could be attached to the walls of the space station. Crumbs are definitely not allowed in space as they could get inside the delicate instruments or inside the astronaut's eyes. To avoid crumbs, a gelatin coating is always given on top of the food. Each package is presented with a barcode for identification and when the particular package is consumed, it is logged with the help of the barcode. 

Crewmates share a meal onboard on the International space station. Source: NASA

    All the food items in the menu contain liquids on them to avoid the formation of crumbs. Since there is no gravity on the space station, the surface tension of the liquid is very high and so it holds the food together. All the food items are usually placed in the food lockers in the spacecraft two or three days before the launch. All the space food must have a shelf life of about nine months and the food going to the ISS must have a shelf life of about one year. As future planetary missions are being planned, the shelf life of the food items needs to be increased to up to 5 years. 

How to cook in space?

    The food will be available in pouches with a valve, covered with an aluminium foil which can be removed from the needle of the rehydrating system in the ISS.  The needle punctures the foil of the package and there will be a selection of hot and cold water, which is to be added to the package. The Astronauts could even select the quantity of the water and if the hot water is hot enough, the food warmer present in the space station is used to heat up the food packet. The straw with a lock is present in the liquid items so that the liquid will not splatter in the space station and the solid food items are eaten with the help of the silverware. With the advancement in technology, space farming could be made possible in the future.