Ever wondered what astronauts might be eating to get rid of hunger pangs? How does one enjoy a meal in near-weightless environment of the earth’s orbit? What it is to eat freeze-dried food or eat out of squeeze tubes? Is it tasty enough or is it just something that is merely edible and so it is labeled food?
Well, initially the food with which astronauts were provided on space missions was the kind, which very few people would have had without a whimper. Stringent restrictions on foods to be sent in space did not allow much room for scrumptious menus in the space food system. However, with the advent of improved methods of packaging food, astronauts were provided with quite appetizing foods.
The astronauts on Gemini missions were able to enjoy foods such as butterscotch pudding, shrimp cocktail, chicken, vegetables among the many foods that were packed in specially designed plastic containers for space missions. Eating out of a plastic bowl with a spoon in zero-g became possible by the time Apollo missions were undertaken. Then came the Skylab, which was equipped with a freezer, refrigerator and boasted of a lavish menu with 72 food items.
Today, the cosmonauts working for International Space Station, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) can soon look forward to enjoying a yummy Japanese meal in space. The agency has approved of 29 Japanese food products to be provided in space. The cosmonauts will soon treat themselves to foods such as mayonnaise, vegetable sauce, rice porridge, egg soup, powdered green tea, mackerel in miso sauce, sardines in tomato sauce, kabayaki saury, seafood ramen, curry ramen, chestnut yokan, salmon onigiri, kuroame to name a few. Twelve different companies such as Kagome, Mitsui Norin, Nissin, Onishi Foods, Kewpie, Yamazaki-Nabisco, Yamazaki Baking, House Foods, Maruha, Meiji, Riken Vitamin and Ajinomoto are providing these foods.
Lets tell the cosmonauts douzo meshiagare that means enjoy your meal in Japanese, after all they will relish it very soon.
Image: Esa
Via: Pinktentacle, Spaceflight
