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Food technology problems related to space feeding
H A Hollender1, M V Klicka, M C Smith
1U.S. Army Natick Laboratories, Natick, Massachusetts, USA.
Life Sciences and Space Research
|January 1, 1970
Summary
Developing space food for missions like Gemini and Apollo involved overcoming challenges like weight, stability, and zero gravity. Key innovations included dehydrated and specially packaged foods to meet astronaut needs.
Area of Science:
- Space exploration
- Food science
- Nutritional science
Background:
- Space missions require specialized food systems due to environmental constraints.
- Previous missions (Mercury, Gemini, Apollo) utilized various food types to address these challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To outline the challenges and solutions in developing extraterrestrial food.
- To review the feeding systems used in early space programs.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of food requirements for space flight.
- Description of four primary food development approaches: tubes, dry dehydrated, rehydratable, and thermostabilized products.
- Evaluation of packaging and adaptation strategies for space conditions.
Main Results:
- Dehydrated and specially packaged foods were crucial for Gemini and Apollo.
- Four distinct food delivery systems were implemented.
- Current Apollo missions identified remaining deficiencies in space food systems.
Conclusions:
- Space food development requires addressing numerous technical challenges.
- Ongoing work aims to improve feeding systems for both short-term and long-term space flights.