Saturday, July 31, 2010

Space Food

I was watching Modern Marvels on TV about potatoes.  In one of sequences they showed growing mini potatoes in air without any dirt.  The mini potatoes grew faster than potatoes grown in dirt.  This reminded me about space food and thought I would see what might be of interest.  As for potatoes here are some links.

Space Spuds to the Rescue
http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/everydaylife/spacespuds.html
Quantum Tubers™
http://www.quantumtubers.com/
http://www.sti.nasa.gov/tto/spinoff2000/er5.htm

Potatoes will be important for the space traveler but there needs to be more than french fries and what is good in space may well be good here on Earth as well.
- LRK -

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http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/presskits/spacefood/factsheets.html
Space Food Fact Sheets

Space Food
Many people are curious about what astronauts eat in space. NASA nutritionists make sure they have plenty of healthy, appetizing food while they're living in orbit.
+ Read the Fact Sheet (PDF 98 Kb)
http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/71426main_FS-2002-10-079-JSC.pdf

Incredible Edibles from Space
Space food technology spinoffs benefit dining rooms throughout the world. NASA licenses dozens of space-age technologies and connects with the private sector for the creation of products that improve lives here on Earth.
+ Read the Fact Sheet (PDF 2.5 Mb)
http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/71427main_Space_Food_Spinoff_FS-2004-08-007-JSC.pdf

Cosmic Cuisine
NASA space food scientists are developing an Advanced Food System that will provide future crews traveling to the moon and Mars with safe, nutritious and appetizing food while minimizing volume, mass and waste.
+ Read the Fact Sheet (PDF 59 Kb)
http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/137398main_FS-2005-10-055%20Cuisine_1.pdf

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Some other information to test your taste buds.
- LRK -

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http://science.howstuffworks.com/space-food.htm
How Space Food Works

By the 1960s, NASA achieved an extraordinary technological feat by sending men into space. Yet one deceptively simple aspect of space travel took several more years to perfect: the food. Today most space food looks a lot like food here on the ground. What started out as tasteless paste squeezed out of a toothpastelike tube has come a long way from space exploration's early days. Astronauts are even getting treated to gourmet meals designed by celebrity chefs.

But what is space food? A typical space menu is made up of a lot of the same items found in homes and restaurants here on Earth. It might include foods such as:
   * Beef stroganoff
   * Brownies
   * Crispy rice cereal
   * Chicken stew
   * Scrambled eggs
   * Pineapple
   * Granola bars
   * Macaroni and cheese
   * Chocolate pudding

The biggest differences between space food and regular food are in the packaging and design. Space food must be carefully contained so it doesn't float around in the low-gravity (microgravity) environment. Even something as simple as a few crumbs can become deadly in low gravity. Loose pieces of food can become lodged in shuttle  vents or can waft into an astronaut's nose or mouth and pose a choking or breathing hazard. Liquids can float away as well, so drinks like coffee, orange juice, apple cider and tea are packaged as powders. Astronauts add water to the contained drinks to rehydrate them.

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When we look up and think about space travel it excites the imagination. Give some students the challenge to figure out what is needed to survive and see what they find.
http://library.thinkquest.org/03oct/01581/SpaceTravelEnglish/lifesupport/food.html
- LRK -

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http://library.thinkquest.org/03oct/01581/SpaceTravelEnglish/lifesupport/food.html
Space Travel 101
Food

Eating aboard a spacecraft is more than just grabbing some fast-food. Biological, operational, and engineering factors all play a part in the types of food that are available in a spacecraft. These factors involve the effect of the food on the astronaut, the structure of the food's container, and how manageable the food and container is, respectively. The following table lists factors that determine good space food.

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Some history about Space food.
- LRK -

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_food
Space food

Space food is food products, specially created and processed for consumption by astronauts in outer space. The food has specific requirements of providing balanced nutrition for the health of individuals working in space, while being easy and safe to store, prepare and consume in the machinery filled low gravity environments of contemporary manned spacecrafts. In recent years, space food have been used by various nations engaging on space programs as a way to share and show off their cultural identity and facilitate intercultural communication.

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Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -
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WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

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