What Foods Do Astronauts Eat in Space?
When astronauts leave for a mission, they will not be able to refrigerate their food, so anything they take along must be nonperishable. The space food that they bring must also be easy to eat without making a mess, since the astronauts will be outside the gravitational field, and any crumbs from their food could float around and get stuck in equipment or in the astronauts’ eyes. Because astronauts will often be in space for weeks or months at a time, they are usually unable to bring fresh food, such as fruit and vegetables, on board the shuttle.
When astronauts leave for a mission, they will not be able to refrigerate their food, so anything they take along must be nonperishable. The space food that they bring must also be easy to eat without making a mess, since the astronauts will be outside the gravitational field, and any crumbs from their food could float around and get stuck in equipment or in the astronauts’ eyes. Because astronauts will often be in space for weeks or months at a time, they are usually unable to bring fresh food, such as fruit and vegetables, on board the shuttle. Many types of space food are dehydrated, or freeze-dried, and sealed. When the astronaut is ready to eat the space food, he can add water to rehydrate the meal so that it will be edible. Though there is no refrigerator on board a space shuttle, there is an oven, so astronauts will be able to heat up or bake their space food as necessary.
