{"id":14068,"date":"2022-07-29T08:20:25","date_gmt":"2022-07-29T12:20:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wasserstrom.com\/blog\/?p=14068"},"modified":"2022-09-29T09:46:12","modified_gmt":"2022-09-29T13:46:12","slug":"the-quest-for-interstellar-foodservice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wasserstrom.com\/blog\/2022\/07\/29\/the-quest-for-interstellar-foodservice\/","title":{"rendered":"The Quest for Interstellar Foodservice"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In 1961, NASA tested whether the human body was capable of peristalsis — the involuntary muscle contractions necessary to move food though our digestive tracks — in a microgravity environment<\/a>. Fast forward to today and we have Michelin-starred chefs preparing four-course meals for our astronauts in orbit, as well as space tourism. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As it turns out, masterful culinary skills are needed both on Earth and in orbit. This article looks at the food challenges that come with feeding astronauts in space. Then, we\u2019ll look at two recent innovations in the foodservice industry that could potentially help astronauts travel further than ever before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"An<\/a>
An astronaut prepares her bagged lunch using a space food rehydrator aboard the International Space Station (ISS)<\/a>. Source: NASA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Microgravity Challenges<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Space cuisine has progressed in leaps and bounds in a small amount of time, from whether it was possible to even swallow food in a gravity-free environment to whether if it was possible for Alain Ducasse to serve Riviera-style swordfish<\/a> aboard a space mission. This gastronomic niche, however, poses unique logistical challenges that we don\u2019t face on Earth.  As you will see, complex problems emerge when you remove gravity from the equation. Here are just a few of them:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nutrition<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Astronauts face myriad challenges to keep themselves healthy during a mission. For starters, muscle mass, red blood cells, and bone density decrease in space. The loss in bone density, for example, is only one of many reasons that the nutritional content of space food is so important to the health of the astronauts and the mission itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we take a closer look at why bone loss occurs in microgravity environments, we discovered that the human body\u2019s need for skeletal support dissipates when there is little to no downward force for the body to resist. Astronauts lose 1% to 2% of their bone density for every month they spend in space<\/a>, which creates an obstacle for longer missions. And in the case of a trip to Mars, which could easily take three years, that amounts to 36% – 72% bone loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dulled Sense of Smell and Taste<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

What tastes good on Earth isn\u2019t what necessarily tastes good aboard a space mission.  Maintaining a healthy appetite to keep up with nutrition under degrading space conditions is another challenge astronauts face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One reason this occurs is that without gravity, fluids shift to the head which leads to congestion and the sensation of having block sinuses. Because they lose much of their sense of smell during flight, an astronaut\u2019s ability to taste food lessens significantly. Therefore, astronauts prefer to eat foods with high spice levels like onions and chili sauce, and strong chemical stimulation, such as raw garlic. Likewise, the sweeter, saltier, and more bitter, the more appealing the meal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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