Food In Outer Space

Astronauts' food has always been a concern. One of their favorite foods is "mac and cheese" stored in a shrink-wrapped brick. According to NASA, this is the comfort food they crave most. But when they blast off for Mars in 2030, this won't be available as the see-through package traps moisture and oxygen so it would spoil before eaten.

The manager of NASA's advanced food technology says this is one of the issues she and her staff of 15 have to consider when they make up menus for missions.. The menu needs to be light and nutritious, tasty and durable enough to withstand the years-long mission to Mars.

Missions of that length have enough food for 6,759 breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks (enough food to feed 6 people for more than 3 years). Each person is allowed 3.2 pounds of food per day with each dish needing a five year shelf life.

As space missions got longer over the years, NASA moved away from the toothpaste like containers that held vegetable purees. Meals began to resemble real food: dehydrated sausage patties, fruit cocktail and spaghetti with meat sauce. Today, food on missions includes freeze-dried shrimp, beef fajitas and cherry-blueberry cobbler.

Source: Los Angeles Times

Female Astronauts = Space Record

Men in space still outnumber women 2-to-1 but soon there will be the most women there has ever been in outer space at the same time. The shuttle Discovery will launch three women and four men bound for the International Space Station to join another woman who is circling Earth in a Russian capsule also bound for the space station. Sally Ride was the first American female rocketed into space 27 years ago.

A former schoolteacher will be one of the four females to make history. There is also a chemist and two aerospace engineers. Three of the women are Americans and one is Japanese. Discovery's crew will spend 13 days in space bringing in spare parts and other supplies to the nearly completed space station.

Where's The Nearest McDonalds?

Astronauts don't have the option of grabbing something to eat while in outer space. Their food has always been of concern. One of the favorite foods of the astronauts is "mac and cheese" stored in a shrink-wrapped brick. According to NASA, this is the comfort food they crave most. But when they blast off for Mars in 2030, this won't be available as the see-through package traps moisture and oxygen so it would spoil before eaten.

The manager of NASA's advanced food technology says this is one of the issues she and her staff of 15 have to consider when they make up menus for missions.. The menu needs to be light and nutritious, tasty and durable enough to withstand the years-long mission to Mars.

Missions of that length have enough food for 6,759 breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks (enough food to feed 6 people for more than 3 years). Each person is allowed 3.2 pounds of food per day with each dish needing a five year shelf life.

As space missions got longer over the years, NASA moved away from the toothpaste like containers that held vegetable purees. Meals began to resemble real food: dehydrated sausage patties, fruit cocktail and spaghetti with meat sauce.

Today, food on missions includes freeze-dried shrimp, beef fajitas and cherry-blueberry cobbler.

Source: Los Angeles Times