Food of an Astronaut

What does an astronaut eat in space? This is a question that will confuse many, as people usually think of space and astronauts, but not about the food that they consume. If one would have thought about the food of an astronaut some decades ago, the answer would have been way different than it is today. In the early space-travel years, astronauts ate dehydrated, paste-like foods that was preserved in tubes and consumed by straws. In today's space age, the food that they consume is totally different from the paste-like foods. They eat foods in the same way as we people do on Earth, only difference being it is sealed and packaged properly.

Astronauts are able to prepare and eat variety of foods in space. Some can be consumed in their natural form, like fruits, while some need water to be added to them, like spaghetti or macaroni. Moreover, a forced-air convection oven is also provided in the space shuttle to be able to heat the food before eating. However, there are no refrigerators, so the food has to be prepared and eaten without storing them for a long time. When the astronauts are hungry, they simply eat the sealed food directly, or may need to add water to the sealed food for making it edible. Their style of eating is no different from that of us, which includes opening the food packets using a scissors and consuming the food with a fork, knife, and spoon.

There are seasoners available in the spacecraft, like ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise to add flavor to the food. Salt and pepper are provided, but in a liquid form as the astronauts are unable to sprinkle them onto the food due to absence of gravity, which will simply cause them to float away. There is also a possibility of them clogging the air vents, spoiling equipments, or being stuck in the astronaut's eyes or nose.

Just like people on Earth, astronauts also eat three meals a day which include breakfast, lunch and dinner. However, they may also consume some snacks periodically. The US space agency NASA has found out that an astronaut's diet reduces by about 70% when on a space mission. Nutritionists have ensured that the space food provided to the astronauts is capable of supplying sufficient vitamins and minerals to them. Calorie needs can differ from person to person, like a short woman may need around 1,900 calories in a day, and a tall man may need around 3,200 calories per day. They have a wide range of foods to choose from; like nuts, chicken, beef, seafood, and candies. The meat supplied to them is prepared in such a way that it absorbs sauce and mustard, which would prevent dryness. It is also exposed to radiation before packing, to preserve it for a longer time.

The food packagings are designed in such a way that make them flexible and easy to use. Drinks are also available that include coffee, tea, juices, fruit punches, and lemonade. They may even eat high-protein cereal snacks, or dry fruits like raisins, almonds, and cashew nuts. Astronauts also request for some particular food that they would like to have in space well in advance before the shuttle launch. out of them, those that are permissible are given to them to take along. When they finish eating, they throw away the meal packagings in the trash compactor which eliminates the waste.

Nutritionists and chefs are always experimenting and trying out different space foods that can be offered to astronauts when on space missions.