WHAT DO ASTRONAUTS EAT IN SPACE ?

Have you ever thought..!? What do astronauts eat in space ? How will they eat ? What is their diet in space ? Well , there were several such questions that were running in your mind right..! Are , you curious & wanted to know answers for all these questions ? So , lets get started..!

“Eating in space” Its really a challenge . The reason is there is no enough gravity . How do they drink water ? In a cup..!?…Nope..! Don’t even expect.. Because water wont stay in a cup . It will float in the air . So , how do they drink ? And what will they drink ?

Earlier , the food for astronauts is not same in Space as what do we eat on Earth . The food of astronauts should be specially processed and packaged according to the zero gravity of space . Now a days , Space foods are rehydrated , reheated and they are just like ready to eat foods .

Space Foods :

Space foods is a type of created and processed foods for consumption by astronauts in space . They should be appealing , nutritious and palatable . They require careful modifications of food as there is weightlessness in space . The foods should be light in weight & low in volume . The food has specific requirements of providing balanced nutrition for astronauts .

Natural form of foods such as nuts and cookies , which are ready to eat are packaged in flexible pouches . Edible coatings are used to pack foods . The foods are stored by retort packaging , which is a laminated foil container designed to hold up in high temperatures during sterilization . Astronauts do not go through any special pre-dieting regimen before going to space . They take Vitamin – D supplements .

When an astronaut is thirsty , how will he drink ? Here is the answer…! He will select a plastic tube containing milk , tea , coffee , fruit juices in dehydrated form . The food is prepared at a galley on the space shuttle . Galley is a modular unit that consists of a water dispenser and oven for rehydrating and warming of foods .

The daily diet of astronauts includes frozen foods , ambient foods , refrigerated foods & rehydrated drinks . The astronaut can choose from many types of foods such as fruits , seafoods etc., The foods they eat are dehydrated ones.. This prevents the foods from getting spoiled . But today , astronauts on the space eat food in the same way as they eat here on Earth .