What and how do astronauts eat in space?

No one delivers pizza in space. It’s sad but true. Eating in space can be a real challenge. Why? There’s not enough gravity! If you let go of a French fry, it will float off and drift around the spaceship! Good luck holding onto your dinner. How about a cup of water? Forget it! Water won’t stay in a cup. It, too, will float through the air.

So how do astronauts stay in space for days or weeks at a time? Scientists have come up with special ways of packaging and eating foods in space. The first space foods were soft foods (kind of like baby food!) packaged in tubes like toothpaste.

John Glenn became the first U.S. astronaut to eat in space in 1962. He ate applesauce from an aluminum tube during a Mercury mission. He had to squeeze the food into his mouth.

Eventually, scientists found ways to make better, tastier space foods. They were also easier to eat!

Freeze-drying is one technique they use. In this method, food is quickly frozen and dehydrated after it’s cooked. Freeze-dried food doesn’t need to be refrigerated and lasts a long time.

To eat freeze-dried food, astronauts squeeze water into the food packages. After the food absorbs the water, it’s ready to eat. Astronauts can use hot water to make hot meals that are tasty and nutritious.

Some freeze-dried foods, like fruit, can be eaten dry. In fact, you may eat astronaut food from time to time without realizing it. Today, many breakfast cereals include freeze-dried fruits, like strawberries.

Astronauts today eat many of the same foods they eat on Earth. Food is still dehydrated or prepared in special ways. But space shuttles now have full kitchens with hot water and an oven.

Astronauts can also use condiments. They use ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise packets to add flavor. They can add salt and pepper, too. However, these spices have to be in a liquid form. Otherwise, the grains would just float away!

Drinks also have to be dehydrated. They’re kept in powder form in special pouches. The pouches have built-in straws or special nozzles. That way, astronauts can drink straight from the pouch after water is added.

To make sure their food doesn’t float off, astronauts use Velcro fasteners. Their trays fasten to their laps, so they can enjoy a meal while sitting down.

Nutritionists plan astronaut meals to make sure they get all the nutrients and vitamins they need. Still, some astronauts experience digestive problems after they’ve been in space a long time.

As fluids act differently in space, an astronaut’s sense of taste is changed. On Earth, body fluids generally settle towards our feet. In reduced gravity, these fluids move freely in our bodies, creating a similar feeling to a head cold or blocked sinuses and leaving many foods tasting bland. To reactivate their taste buds, many astronauts to have a preference for piquant and hot foods such as peppers and spicy flavours such as horseradish or wasabi.

n December 2019 the first cookies were baked in space. The cookie dough was provided by DoubleTree by Hilton, and was baked on board the International Space Station, taking two hours in the oven.

Every two months, an automated spacecraft, such as the European Space Agency's 'Automated Transfer Vehicle' or the Russian's 'Progress' spacecraft, dock with the ISS loaded with fresh fruit, water and pre-packaged meals.