Space food is food products, specially created and processed for consumption by astronauts in outer space. The food has specific requirements of providing balanced nutrition for the health of individuals working in space, while being easy and safe to store, prepare and consume in the machinery filled low gravity environments of contemporary manned spacecraft. In recent years, space food has been used by various nations engaging on space programs as a way to share and show off their cultural identity and facilitate intercultural communication.
Early history
Russian
Vostok (1961)
For lunch Gagarin ate three 160 g toothpaste-type tubes; Two servings of puréed meat and one chocolate sauce
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".
United States
One of John Glenn's many tasks, as the first American to orbit Earth in 1962, was to experiment with eating in weightless conditions. Some experts had been concerned that weightlessness would impair swallowing. Glenn experienced no difficulties and it was determined that microgravity did not affect the natural swallowing process.
Project Mercury (1959-1963)
Astronauts in later Mercury missions disliked the food that was provided. They ate bite-sized cubes, freeze-dried
powders, and tubes of semiliquids. The astronauts found it unappetizing, experienced difficulties in rehydrating the
freeze-dried foods, and didn't like having to squeeze tubes or collect crumbs.
Project Gemini (1965-1966)
Several of the food issues from the Mercury missions were addressed for the later Gemini missions. Tubes (often
heavier than the foods they contained) were abandoned. Gelatin coatings helped to prevent bite-sized cubes from
crumbling. Simpler rehydration methods were developed. The menus also expanded to include items such as shrimp
cocktail, chicken and vegetables, toast squares, butterscotch pudding, and apple juice.
The crew of Gemini III sneaked a corned beef sandwich on their spaceflight. Mission Commander Gus Grissom
loved corned beef sandwiches, so Pilot John Young brought one along, having been encouraged by fellow astronaut
Walter Schirra. However, Young was supposed to only eat approved food, and Grissom wasn't supposed to eat
anything. Floating pieces of bread posed a potential problem, causing Grissom to put the sandwich away (although
he did enjoy it)[5] and the astronauts were mildly rebuked by NASA for the act. A congressional hearing was called,
forcing the NASA deputy administrator George Mueller to promise no repeats. NASA took special care about what
astronauts brought along on future missions.
Apollo program (1968-1975)
The variety of food options continued to expand for the Apollo missions. The new availability of hot water made
rehydrating freeze-dried foods simpler, and produced a more appetizing result. The "spoon-bowl" allowed more
normal eating practices. Food could be kept in special plastic zip-closure containers, and its moisture allowed it to
stick to a spoon.
Skylab (1973-1974)
Larger living areas on the Skylab space station allowed for an on-board refrigerator and freezer, which allowed perishable and frozen items to
be stored and made the microgravity the primary obstacle.When Skylab's solar panels were damaged during its launch and the station had to rely on minimal power from the Apollo Telescope Mount until Skylab 2 crewmembers performed repairs, the refrigerator and freezer were among the systems that Mission Control kept operational. Menus included items such as processed meat products and ice cream. A dining room table and chairs, fastened to the floor and fitted with foot and thigh restraints, allowed for a more normal eating experience. The trays used could warm the food, and had magnets to hold eating utensils and scissors to open food containers.[ The crews found the food to be better than Apollo's but still mediocre due, in part, to it tasting different in space from on Earth.They liked the frozen foods the best, and found they desired spicy foods:130 due to head congestion from weightlessness dulling their senses of taste and smell.:292-293,308 Weightlessness also complicated both eating and cleaning up; crews spent up to 90 minutes a day on housekeeping.
Modern
Today, fruits and vegetables that can be safely stored at room temperature are eaten on space flights. Astronauts also
have a greater variety of main courses to choose from, and many request personalized menus from lists of available
foods including items like fruit salad and spaghetti. Astronauts sometimes request beef jerky for flights, as it is
lightweight, nutritious, and can be consumed in orbit without packaging or other changes.
• Chinese: In October 2003, the People's Republic of China
commenced their first manned space flight. The astronaut, Yang
Liwei, brought along with him and ate specially processed yuxiang
pork (鱼 香 肉 丝), Kung Pao chicken (宫 保 鸡 丁), and Eight
Treasures rice (simp: 八 宝 饭; trad: 八 寶 飯), along with
Chinese herbal tea.[12] Food made for this flight and the subsequent
manned flight in 2007 has been commercialized for sale to the mass
market.
• Japanese: The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) have
developed traditional Japanese foods and drinks such as matcha,
yokan, ramen, sushi, soups, rice with ume for consumption in
orbit.[15] The foods have been produced in collaboration with Japanese food companies such as Ajinomoto, Meiji
Dairies, and Nissin Foods.
• 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, kimchi. It took three research institutes several
years and millions of dollars to create a version of the fermented cabbage dish that was suitable for space
travel.
• Russian: On the ISS the Russian crew has a selection of over 300 dishes. An example daily menu can be:
• Breakfast: curds and nuts, mashed potatoes with nuts, apple-quince chip sticks, sugarless coffee and vitamins.
• Lunch: jellied pike perch, borsch with meat, goulash with buckwheat, bread, black currant juice, sugarless tea.
• Supper: rice and meat, broccoli and cheese, nuts, tea with sugar.
• Second supper: dried beef, cashew nuts, peaches, grape juice
.
• Swedish: Swedish astronaut Christer Fuglesang was not allowed to bring reindeer jerky with him on-board a
shuttle mission as it was unthinkable for the Americans so soon before Christmas. He had to go with moose
instead.
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.
Carbonation
Carbonated drinks have been tried in space, but are not favored due to changes in belching caused by microgravity. 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.
Beer has also been developed that counteract the reduction of taste and smell reception in space and reduce the possibility of wet burps in microgravity. Produced by Vostok 4-Pines Stout, a parabolic flight experiment validated that the reduced carbonation recipe met the criteria intendedfor space. Barley harvested from that grown for several generations in space have also been brought back to earth to produce beer. While not a space food (it used the same high carbonation 'Earth' recipe), the study did demonstrate that ingredients grown in space are safe for
production.
Packaging
Packaging for space food serves the primary purposes of preserving and containing the food. The packaging however must 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.Many foods from the Russian space program are packaged in cans and tins. 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.
NASA space foods are packaged in retort pouches or employ freeze drying. They are also packaged in sealed
containers which fit into trays to keep them in place. The trays include straps on the underside, allowing astronauts to
attach the tray to an anchor point such as their legs or a wall surface and include clips for retaining a beverage pouch
or utensils in the microgravity environment.
Types
There are several classifications for food that is sent into space:
• 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 sterilized with ionizing
radiation to keep the food from spoiling.
• 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 and specially packaged in an oxygen-free nitrogen
atmosphere to prevent the growth of mold.
• Condiments - Liquid salt solution, oily pepper paste, mayonnaise, ketchup, and mustard.
Consumer derivatives
Capitalizing on the popularity of the Apollo space missions, Pillsbury marketed "Food Sticks" (also known as "Space
Food Sticks") for the consumer market in the early 1970s.Fourteen individually-packaged sticks were included in
a box, and came in six flavors such as peanut butter, caramel, and chocolate. Food Sticks were marketed as a
"nutritionally balanced between meal snack".
Most of these products can now be found in novelty shops or at Army Surplus locations. Campers have taken to
using products such as Tang due to their reliability, but some others, such as many of the freeze dried foods, contain
fragrances that can attract bears, cougars, and other forest animals.
Tang, originally marketed in 1959, also saw an increase in popularity during this era due to its inclusion on the
manned space flights.
Early history
Russian
Vostok (1961)
For lunch Gagarin ate three 160 g toothpaste-type tubes; Two servings of puréed meat and one chocolate sauce
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".
United States
One of John Glenn's many tasks, as the first American to orbit Earth in 1962, was to experiment with eating in weightless conditions. Some experts had been concerned that weightlessness would impair swallowing. Glenn experienced no difficulties and it was determined that microgravity did not affect the natural swallowing process.
Project Mercury (1959-1963)
Astronauts in later Mercury missions disliked the food that was provided. They ate bite-sized cubes, freeze-dried
powders, and tubes of semiliquids. The astronauts found it unappetizing, experienced difficulties in rehydrating the
freeze-dried foods, and didn't like having to squeeze tubes or collect crumbs.
Project Gemini (1965-1966)
Several of the food issues from the Mercury missions were addressed for the later Gemini missions. Tubes (often
heavier than the foods they contained) were abandoned. Gelatin coatings helped to prevent bite-sized cubes from
crumbling. Simpler rehydration methods were developed. The menus also expanded to include items such as shrimp
cocktail, chicken and vegetables, toast squares, butterscotch pudding, and apple juice.
The crew of Gemini III sneaked a corned beef sandwich on their spaceflight. Mission Commander Gus Grissom
loved corned beef sandwiches, so Pilot John Young brought one along, having been encouraged by fellow astronaut
Walter Schirra. However, Young was supposed to only eat approved food, and Grissom wasn't supposed to eat
anything. Floating pieces of bread posed a potential problem, causing Grissom to put the sandwich away (although
he did enjoy it)[5] and the astronauts were mildly rebuked by NASA for the act. A congressional hearing was called,
forcing the NASA deputy administrator George Mueller to promise no repeats. NASA took special care about what
astronauts brought along on future missions.
Apollo program (1968-1975)
The variety of food options continued to expand for the Apollo missions. The new availability of hot water made
rehydrating freeze-dried foods simpler, and produced a more appetizing result. The "spoon-bowl" allowed more
normal eating practices. Food could be kept in special plastic zip-closure containers, and its moisture allowed it to
stick to a spoon.
Skylab (1973-1974)
Larger living areas on the Skylab space station allowed for an on-board refrigerator and freezer, which allowed perishable and frozen items to
be stored and made the microgravity the primary obstacle.When Skylab's solar panels were damaged during its launch and the station had to rely on minimal power from the Apollo Telescope Mount until Skylab 2 crewmembers performed repairs, the refrigerator and freezer were among the systems that Mission Control kept operational. Menus included items such as processed meat products and ice cream. A dining room table and chairs, fastened to the floor and fitted with foot and thigh restraints, allowed for a more normal eating experience. The trays used could warm the food, and had magnets to hold eating utensils and scissors to open food containers.[ The crews found the food to be better than Apollo's but still mediocre due, in part, to it tasting different in space from on Earth.They liked the frozen foods the best, and found they desired spicy foods:130 due to head congestion from weightlessness dulling their senses of taste and smell.:292-293,308 Weightlessness also complicated both eating and cleaning up; crews spent up to 90 minutes a day on housekeeping.
Modern
Today, fruits and vegetables that can be safely stored at room temperature are eaten on space flights. Astronauts also
have a greater variety of main courses to choose from, and many request personalized menus from lists of available
foods including items like fruit salad and spaghetti. Astronauts sometimes request beef jerky for flights, as it is
lightweight, nutritious, and can be consumed in orbit without packaging or other changes.
• Chinese: In October 2003, the People's Republic of China
commenced their first manned space flight. The astronaut, Yang
Liwei, brought along with him and ate specially processed yuxiang
pork (鱼 香 肉 丝), Kung Pao chicken (宫 保 鸡 丁), and Eight
Treasures rice (simp: 八 宝 饭; trad: 八 寶 飯), along with
Chinese herbal tea.[12] Food made for this flight and the subsequent
manned flight in 2007 has been commercialized for sale to the mass
market.
• Japanese: The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) have
developed traditional Japanese foods and drinks such as matcha,
yokan, ramen, sushi, soups, rice with ume for consumption in
orbit.[15] The foods have been produced in collaboration with Japanese food companies such as Ajinomoto, Meiji
Dairies, and Nissin Foods.
• 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, kimchi. It took three research institutes several
years and millions of dollars to create a version of the fermented cabbage dish that was suitable for space
travel.
• Russian: On the ISS the Russian crew has a selection of over 300 dishes. An example daily menu can be:
• Breakfast: curds and nuts, mashed potatoes with nuts, apple-quince chip sticks, sugarless coffee and vitamins.
• Lunch: jellied pike perch, borsch with meat, goulash with buckwheat, bread, black currant juice, sugarless tea.
• Supper: rice and meat, broccoli and cheese, nuts, tea with sugar.
• Second supper: dried beef, cashew nuts, peaches, grape juice
.
• Swedish: Swedish astronaut Christer Fuglesang was not allowed to bring reindeer jerky with him on-board a
shuttle mission as it was unthinkable for the Americans so soon before Christmas. He had to go with moose
instead.
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.
Carbonation
Carbonated drinks have been tried in space, but are not favored due to changes in belching caused by microgravity. 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.
Beer has also been developed that counteract the reduction of taste and smell reception in space and reduce the possibility of wet burps in microgravity. Produced by Vostok 4-Pines Stout, a parabolic flight experiment validated that the reduced carbonation recipe met the criteria intendedfor space. Barley harvested from that grown for several generations in space have also been brought back to earth to produce beer. While not a space food (it used the same high carbonation 'Earth' recipe), the study did demonstrate that ingredients grown in space are safe for
production.
Packaging
Packaging for space food serves the primary purposes of preserving and containing the food. The packaging however must 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.Many foods from the Russian space program are packaged in cans and tins. 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.
NASA space foods are packaged in retort pouches or employ freeze drying. They are also packaged in sealed
containers which fit into trays to keep them in place. The trays include straps on the underside, allowing astronauts to
attach the tray to an anchor point such as their legs or a wall surface and include clips for retaining a beverage pouch
or utensils in the microgravity environment.
Types
There are several classifications for food that is sent into space:
• 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 sterilized with ionizing
radiation to keep the food from spoiling.
• 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 and specially packaged in an oxygen-free nitrogen
atmosphere to prevent the growth of mold.
• Condiments - Liquid salt solution, oily pepper paste, mayonnaise, ketchup, and mustard.
Consumer derivatives
Capitalizing on the popularity of the Apollo space missions, Pillsbury marketed "Food Sticks" (also known as "Space
Food Sticks") for the consumer market in the early 1970s.Fourteen individually-packaged sticks were included in
a box, and came in six flavors such as peanut butter, caramel, and chocolate. Food Sticks were marketed as a
"nutritionally balanced between meal snack".
Most of these products can now be found in novelty shops or at Army Surplus locations. Campers have taken to
using products such as Tang due to their reliability, but some others, such as many of the freeze dried foods, contain
fragrances that can attract bears, cougars, and other forest animals.
Tang, originally marketed in 1959, also saw an increase in popularity during this era due to its inclusion on the
manned space flights.