THE first meal in space was served for John Glenn, an American astronaut. On Feb. 20, 1962, Glenn piloted the Mercury-Atlas 6 “Friendship 7” spacecraft on the first manned orbital mission of the United States.
The space food of early 1960s consisted of pureed food packed into aluminum tubes, just like toothpaste. They demonstrated that people could eat, swallow and digest food in a weightless environment.
Food taken into space must be light-weight, compact, tasty and nutritious. They must also keep for long periods without refrigeration. In the weightless environment of space, a small woman would require only about 1,900 calories a day, while a large man would require about 3,200 calories.
Dehydrated, freeze-dried, and bite-sized foods, coated with gelatin or oil to prevent crumbling, were introduced during Project Gemini. On-board hydrogen-oxygen fuel cells provided a source of water that could be used to moisten dehydrated or freeze-dried food. Freeze-drying provides foods that will keep their nutrition and taste qualities almost indefinitely. They are extremely light and compact and require no refrigeration. The cereal and brownie cubes, for example – may be eaten without preparation. The others must have hot or cold water added through the nozzle at the end of the package.
The next major advancement in the quality and variety of space food occurred in 1973 during the Skylab Program. The space station had a full galley in which the astronauts could cook and eat meals of their own choosing. Larger living areas on the Skylab space station (1973–1974) allowed for a dining room table and chairs, fastened to the floor and fitted with foot and thigh restraints, allowed for a more normal eating practice.
(To be continued)
