Image Courtesy: NASA
Space exploration has always fascinated humanity, and in recent years, many nations, including India, have come in the race to conquer space. Space missions are moving on at an incredible speed. We are already in the final stage of our Gaganyaan mission, India’s maiden crewed mission. NASA plans to send astronauts back to the Moon through its Artemis program. Meanwhile, the International Space Station (ISS), initially designed for a 15-year lifespan, is now in its 26th year and will soon be replaced. Scientists are also seriously exploring the feasibility of human-crewed deep space missions. In addition, space tourism is gaining momentum.
With all these missions in the pipeline comes the challenge of ensuring that astronauts have the necessary sustenance to survive and thrive in the alien environment of space. One essential component of space missions is food to feed the astronauts, which will also be required for future space colonisers. The normal forms of food that we consume on Earth may not work in the totally extraterrestrial conditions of space.
Astronauts expend more calories in space than on Earth and need extra micronutrients, such as calcium, to stay healthy during prolonged exposure to microgravity. Astronauts are required to exercise for two hours daily on the International Space Station to prevent bone and muscle loss, necessitating a daily caloric intake of 2,500 to 3,500 calories. Sodium intake must be limited because their bodies retain more of it in space. Additionally, astronauts need increased Vitamin D since their skin cannot synthesize it from sunlight as it does on Earth. Food and liquids can float away in space without gravity, making traditional dining methods impractical and potentially hazardous.
Image Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons
JOURNEY OF FOOD FOR SPACE
From the early days of space travel to the sophisticated culinary solutions of today, the development of space foods has been a journey marked by scientific innovation, nutritional ingenuity, and a deep understanding of the unique challenges posed by life beyond our planet. As more nations venture into space, the cultural diversity we see on Earth will also be reflected in the lifestyle of space travellers. Space life will be a mirror reflection of our life on Earth. In such a scenario, the cuisine diversity on Earth will also be reflected in space.
Designing food for space is a complex task that balances nutritional needs, preservation techniques, packaging solutions, and the psychological well-being of astronauts to ensure they are well-fed and healthy during their missions. So, the following factors are kept in mind when designing space food.
- Nutritional Value: Space food must provide balanced nutrition, including essential vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. It should be designed to meet the specific dietary needs of astronauts, considering the lack of gravity and other unique conditions in space.
- Shelf Life: Space missions can last from a few days to several months or even years. Space food needs to have a long shelf life, often achieved through methods like freeze-drying, dehydration, or using preservatives to prevent spoilage.
- Packaging: Packaging must be lightweight, compact, and durable to withstand the rigors of space travel. It should also be designed to minimise waste and ensure that food remains safe and uncontaminated. Packaging should be easy to open and resealable if necessary.
- Safety and Hygiene: Food must be free from contaminants and pathogens. It should be processed and handled under strict hygiene standards to prevent foodborne illnesses.
- Ease of Preparation: Space food should be easy to prepare, requiring minimal equipment and effort. Some foods are ready-to-eat, while others may only need the addition of water or simple heating.
- Taste and Variety: To maintain the morale and health of astronauts, space food should be palatable and come in a variety of flavours and textures. This helps prevent ‘menu fatigue’, where the crew becomes tired of eating the same foods repeatedly.
- Minimise Crumbs: In a microgravity environment, loose crumbs can pose a hazard to equipment and astronauts. Space food should be designed to minimise the production of crumbs.
- Water Efficiency: Given that water is a precious resource in space, food preparation methods should be designed to use minimal water. Rehydration processes should be efficient.
- Psychological Considerations: Food can have a significant psychological impact on crew members. Familiar and comforting foods can help maintain mental well-being during long missions.
- Waste Management: Space food packaging and leftovers should be easy to manage and dispose of, as space missions have limited storage and waste disposal options.
Image Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons
Approximately eight-to-nine months before the launch date that is set, shuttle flight crews are involved in conducting food evaluations. Throughout the sessions, the astronaut will try a wide range of foods and beverages that are available for consumption throughout the journey to evaluate the meal. Crew members select menus, and they have the ability to repeat days at their own discretion. Breakfast, lunch, and supper are planned, and snacks are included in the list of meals that they plan. Mainly, the space foods provided are rehydratable, thermostabilised, irradiated, and natural form.
- Rehydratable Food: Water is removed from these foods to facilitate storage, a process known as dehydration or freeze-drying, and water is added back before consumption. This category includes both beverages and food items, such as hot cereals like oatmeal. Foods packaged in rehydratable containers include soups such as chicken consommé and cream of mushroom, casseroles such as macaroni and cheese and chicken and rice, appetisers such as shrimp cocktails, and breakfast foods such as scrambled eggs and cereals.
- Thermostabilised Food: These foods undergo heat processing, allowing them to be stored at room temperature. Most fruits and fish (like tuna) are preserved this way, often in cans with easy-to-open pull tabs similar to those on store-bought fruit cups. Puddings are packaged in plastic cups.
- Intermediate Moisture Food: By removing some water while retaining enough to keep a soft texture, these foods can be eaten without preparation. Examples include dried fruits such as peaches, pears, apricots, and beef jerky.
- Natural Form Food: Ready to eat and packaged in flexible pouches, examples include nuts, granola bars, and cookies.
- Irradiated Food: Currently, only beef steak and smoked turkey are irradiated. These items are cooked, packaged in flexible foil pouches, and sterilised with ionising radiation to enable room-temperature storage. Additional irradiated products are being developed for the ISS.
- Frozen Food: Quick freezing prevents large ice crystal formation, maintaining the food’s original texture and freshness. Examples include quiches, casseroles, and chicken pot pie.
- Fresh Food: These are unprocessed and not artificially preserved, such as apples and bananas.
- Refrigerated Food: These require cold or cool temperatures to prevent spoilage, including items like cream cheese and sour cream.
In the early days of space exploration, astronauts’ meals mainly consisted of bite-sized cubes, freeze-dried powders, and thick liquids packed in aluminum tubes. The first food eaten in space was consumed by Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin on 12 April 1961, during his historic Vostok 1 mission. Gagarin’s meal included pureed beef and liver paste, packaged in toothpaste-like tubes for easy consumption in a microgravity environment.
John Glenn was the first American astronaut to eat food in space in 1962. He ate applesauce (one of many pureed foods in tubes that NASA offered astronauts on the Project Mercury and Gemini missions) in zero gravity and reported relatively easy digestion. NASA’s in-flight menu featured applesauce served in a container resembling a toothpaste tube and sugar that Glenn dissolved in water.
In 1984, when Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma flew aboard the Soviet spacecraft Soyuz T-11 as part of a joint programme between ISRO and the Soviet Interkosmos space programme, he carried Indian foods to space. The Mysore-based Defence Food Research Laboratory (DFRL) packed some suji halwa, aloo choley, and vegetable pulao for him on his long journey outside the Earth’s orbit. Sharma shared this food with fellow astronauts Yury Malyshev and Gennady Strekalov of Russia.
The Defence Food Research Laboratory (DFRL) is also involved in developing food for the astronauts in India’s forthcoming Gaganyaan mission, expected to be launched in 2025. Suji halwa, vegetable biryani, chicken biryani, paratha, sambar chawal, veg kathi roll, chicken kathi roll, chikki, chicken pulav, ready-to-drink tea or coffee, lemon juice, processed nuts, moong dal halwa, drinkable water, and salt water are some of the foods that the DFRL has developed. Approximately sixty different kinds of ready-to-eat and instantized foods for astronauts have been produced by the DFRL.
As humanity sets its sights on Mars and other deep-space destinations, the challenges of space food become even more complex. A mission to Mars could last several years, requiring a sustainable and reliable food supply. One potential solution is a closed-loop life support system, where waste products are recycled to produce food, water, and oxygen. This approach would reduce the need for resupply missions and ensure a continuous food supply for astronauts. NASA’s Veggie project has successfully grown romaine lettuce and other vegetables aboard the ISS, demonstrating the viability of controlled environment agriculture in space. 3D food printing also promises personalised, nutritious meals on long-duration missions. Companies are already developing prototypes of 3D food printers designed for space use.
Beyond technical solutions, there is a growing focus on food’s psychological and social aspects in space. Sharing meals is central to human connection, fostering friendship and confidence. Space agencies are incorporating elements of ‘comfort food’ from astronauts’ home countries and experimenting with communal dining experiences to combat the isolation of space travel. The journey of space food is a testament to human ingenuity.
*The writer is the Dean (Academic Affairs) at Garden City University, Bangalore, and an adjunct faculty at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore. He can be reached at bijudharmapalan@gmail.com.
