Types of Space Food

Eating in space is a complex problem. Foods must be packaged in a way to make them lightweight and take up little space. They also must be prepared in a way that does not require refrigeration. Food crumbs that may float in microgravity need to be minimized.

Rehydratable Foods

Rehydratable foods are prepared by removing the water from the food. By removing water, they are lighter and smaller for transport. Water as a product of the fuel cells is added to the food for reconstitution. Rehydratable foods such as soup, macaroni and cheese and scrambled eggs are stored in a flexible material that serves as a bowl and spoon.

Thermostabilized

Thermostabilized foods are heat-processed prior to space flight to remove harmful bacteria. These are stored in flexible retort packages or aluminum cans. Foods such as tomato and eggplant, tuna fish and beef tips with mushrooms are heated and eaten directly from these packages. These packages do not require refrigeration because they are precooked.

Irradiated

Irradiated meats are also available to the space crew. These meats, including steak and hamburger, are precooked in pouches and only require heating for preparation. Because the meat is precooked, it does not require refrigeration.

Natural Food

Foods such as nuts, cookies and granola bars are not altered from their original state. These foods are stored in clear flexible packages that do not require warming before eating. Fresh fruits and vegetables are also included on flights but must be eaten within the first few days because they will spoil without refrigeration. Flour tortillas are used in the place of bread to eliminate crumbs that may float around the cabin.

Condiments

Condiments such as ketchup and mayonnaise are stored in single serve packets. Salt and pepper are in liquid form to eliminate them from floating around the cabin. Pepper is stored in oil and salt is dissolved in water.