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Destination Tomorrow.

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We take a look at food technology

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and how it is used by NASA.

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We'll find out about packaging and processing food

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for short and long duration space flights.

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And we'll see what types of foods

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astronauts are enjoying in space.

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All this and more next on Destination Tomorrow.

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Hello everyone, I'm Cara O'Brien.

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Welcome to this special edition of Destination Tomorrow.

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On this episode, we'll be focusing on food.

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Not just any type of food,

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but the food used in the space program.

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Food is obviously one of the most important factors

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for sustaining life here on Earth.

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Throughout history, its abundance has helped

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civilizations rise to great heights,

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while the lack of it has led to collapse.

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The abundance of food also played a major part

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in the role of early explorers and conquerors alike.

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One major problem that was faced by these groups

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was how to preserve the food

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that was brought on long journeys.

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Although techniques like pickling and salting

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helped keep some foods preserved,

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hunting and foraging accounted for the bulk

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of the food that was eaten.

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For example, during the Lewis and Clark expedition,

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the men in the Corps of Discovery

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generally ate about nine pounds of meat a piece each day.

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The bulk of their food came from fresh game

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killed along the way,

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rather than from food stores that were brought with them.

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When game was scarce, they often traded beads and trinkets

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with local Indian tribes for fresh meats,

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like grizzly bear, buffalo, and when all else failed, dogs.

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Having large amounts of food on hand

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played an important role in military campaigns as well.

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During his reign, Napoleon Bonaparte constantly found

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that providing food for his soldiers

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was often a harder task than fighting the battles.

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Napoleon famously stated that,

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an army travels on its stomach, soup makes the soldier.

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In fact, Napoleon was so committed to finding a way

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to preserve food for his soldiers,

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that a prize of 12,000 francs was offered

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to the first person who could invent a method

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to successfully preserve food.

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After years of trying, a Parisian named Nicolas Appert

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came up with an idea that worked.

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Appert successfully preserved food by partially cooking it,

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sealing it in glass bottles with a cork,

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then immersing the bottle in boiling water.

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This process allowed the remaining air

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to be expelled through the boiling process,

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keeping the food fresh.

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Appert's preservation technique proved so successful

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that he was awarded the 12,000 franc prize

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by Napoleon himself in 1810.

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This represented the origination

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of the modern canning process for food.

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Not to be outdone, by about 1812,

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the British army was preserving food in tin cans

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rather than in glass bottles.

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Tin cans were much more durable than glass

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and proved to be easier to store.

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By about 1818, the British Navy was storing

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over 40,000 pounds of food preserved in cans

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on board its ships, keeping crews well-fed and healthy.

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This military use eventually trickled down

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into everyday civilian life,

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helping the general public live healthier lives as well.

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The preserving process became even more widespread

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in the late 1800s with Frenchman Louis Pasteur's work

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in germ theory.

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This theory proved that tiny living microbes

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caused food to spoil.

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In his research, Pasteur determined he could gently heat

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foods and liquids to a temperature

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that would kill the microbes without altering the taste.

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Then chilling the foods and liquids

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would prevent any remaining microbes from multiplying.

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This process is now known as pasteurization.

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Food preservation became even more interesting

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with the development of space flight.

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In order to undertake manned missions in microgravity,

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NASA scientists needed to understand the relationship

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between food and the astronaut in space.

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In the early days of the space program,

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scientists were unsure if the human body

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could physically even swallow food in space.

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The proof they were looking for came

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on the third Mercury flight when John Glenn

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consumed applesauce from an aluminum tube.

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Most of the early food items packaged for space

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were chosen more for utility than for taste.

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This is because in the pressurized weightlessness of space,

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things like crumbs, liquids, and odors do not simply go away.

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They float around the spacecraft,

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decreasing the air quality,

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while also being potentially distracting.

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To help alleviate this problem,

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most food was stored in aluminum tubes

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that look very similar to toothpaste tubes.

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There were also packages of small,

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bite-sized cubes of food

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that were approximately half an inch in size.

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These cubes consisted of a high-calorie mixture

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of proteins, such as fruits and nuts,

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coated with an edible film to prevent crumbs.

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Although the meals contained

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the appropriate daily amount of calories,

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the food was not appealing to most astronauts.

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Often, crews would return from space having lost weight

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because they did not eat all of their assigned meals.

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To help find new ways to make food in space more acceptable,

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NASA scientists began experimenting

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with new types of food, new packaging,

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and new processing procedures.

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To help us understand how food is now prepared

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and packaged for spaceflight,

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Tonya St. Romaine spoke with Connie Eartley

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at Space Food Systems Laboratory

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at NASA Johnson Space Center.

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Food plays a very important role in everyone's life.

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We all have a comfort food or a favorite food

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that helps us get through those stressful days.

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But many of us also have foods that we find objectionable,

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for cultural reasons or simply for the way it tastes.

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This is true for astronauts in space

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as well as for us down here on Earth.

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But in the confines of a spacecraft,

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your food choices are somewhat limited.

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Because food is much more than just sustenance,

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affecting our mental happiness

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as well as our physical abilities,

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NASA researchers have worked hard to prepare meals

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that astronauts look forward to eating.

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But space is a unique environment,

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so the food not only has to taste good,

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it also has to have a long shelf life,

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it has to be able to be stowed effectively,

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and it has to be able to withstand the rigors of space.

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To help us understand exactly what goes into preparing food

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for space, I spoke with Connie Eartley

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in the Space Food Systems Laboratory

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at NASA's Johnson Space Center.

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Food for the astronauts has changed extensively

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over the years.

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The days of mercury are certainly gone.

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Cubes and tubes are no more.

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Astronauts eat a food system that's very similar

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to what they eat here on Earth.

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It's very familiar, all kinds of food items.

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They can eat steak, shrimp cocktail,

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chocolate pudding cake, name it.

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They eat all kinds of food.

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Here we have peanut cubes and sugar cookie cubes.

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How do you eat these, or what?

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Well, again, these are from very early in the space program,

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and so these, literally, these packages would be cut open.

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They would put these cubes in their mouth and consume them.

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These are one of the not-so-appetizing things,

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and this is how far our food has advanced.

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The only thing that they have now that they just cut open

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and pop in their mouth would be something

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like candy-coated peanuts or cookies or something like that.

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The rest of these food items,

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rehydratables have to be rehydrated

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and heated before consumed.

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These types of food items,

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they also are heated before they're consumed,

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and they're just simply, pouches are cut open

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with a pair of scissors, and the astronauts eat right out

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of it with regular utensils,

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so it's just like eating at home.

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Providing an acceptable food system

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is very important to us.

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Food fills a psychological need for the astronauts,

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so we take our jobs very seriously

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when we work to provide nutritious

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and tasty foods for the astronauts,

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so visual aspects of food is very important, as is taste.

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Food has to taste and look good

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for someone to want to eat it,

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so we take that very seriously.

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We've changed that from the beginning days

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from tubes and cubes, and we provide things

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from tomatoes and eggplant and butterscotch pudding

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all the way to peanut butter and cinnamon rolls.

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When developing, we don't just have something

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that meets the astronauts' nutritional needs.

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It has to look good and taste good,

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and when they open a pouch, you want them to smell,

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oh, that smells just like meatloaf,

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and that takes me home.

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Connie, how many items are in the menu?

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We have over 250 different food items on our food list,

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a huge variety of foods.

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All of these foods are shelf-stable food items.

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They do not need to be refrigerated or frozen.

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That is the driving factor in our food system.

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We have freeze-dried foods.

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Freeze-dried foods make up a big portion

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of the food system, specifically on the space shuttle.

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They are foods that have had the moisture removed,

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and before they can be consumed,

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they have to add water added back to them,

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and the labels on the food give the astronauts instructions

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on how to rehydrate the food properly.

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This is our most favorite dish, shrimp cocktail.

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We add three ounces of cold water from the galley,

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and you can see the little rotary dial

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where you select the amount of water,

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and you see two switches.

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The yellow is the hot, and the blue is the cold.

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Then you kind of squish the water into the shrimps

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and wait about 10 minutes for the shrimp

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to totally rehydrate,

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and it actually comes together and forms a nice sauce.

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Now, on Earth, you might eat with a knife, spoon,

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and spork, and spork in space,

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scissors and a spoon is all you need,

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and we use the scissors to open up the food tray,

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and one of the features of all of our food

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is it has a lot of heavy sauce,

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which kind of holds it together,

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and then we just use our spoon,

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and because of the sauce, it doesn't float away.

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The surface tension holds it there.

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It's real nice.

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Okay, so we have a little Italian vegetables here,

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but we've got chicken.

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How do you not need to refrigerate the chicken salad?

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Because the moisture has been removed in the food,

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that's what renders it shelf-stable.

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There is nothing there that would spoil.

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When you add water to these, do they grow?

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Do the sizes grow like a sponge?

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Slightly.

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There is a vacuum on all of these packages,

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so all the oxygen has been removed from the package,

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and that also helps extend its shelf life,

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so water is introduced through this septum,

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and it does fill out this pouch.

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This actual portion won't expand.

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The pouch will expand a little bit

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once that moisture is introduced,

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but this is the actual size.

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Freeze-drying removes the water,

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but doesn't disrupt the cellular integrity of the food,

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so you can add water back,

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and you get exactly what you started with.

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This isn't a condensed version.

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It's just literally just missing the water.

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And the portion sizes are fairly small.

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Why do you keep them that way?

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Things do look small,

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and that is one of the questions that we get often,

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but when you're actually weighing food

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and giving what is a recommended serving size,

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they tend to be smaller

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than what the average person considers.

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So you can't do the biggie size in space.

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No supersize, that's right.

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00:11:00,520 --> 00:11:02,080
And so there are no leftovers.

267
00:11:02,080 --> 00:11:03,240
That's very important.

268
00:11:03,240 --> 00:11:05,440
What they do have in a serving size,

269
00:11:05,440 --> 00:11:06,760
they do need to consume it,

270
00:11:06,760 --> 00:11:09,720
because what they don't consume out of a package,

271
00:11:09,720 --> 00:11:11,060
that becomes trash,

272
00:11:11,060 --> 00:11:13,320
and that becomes something that has to be maintained,

273
00:11:13,320 --> 00:11:15,320
and not to mention, it could smell.

274
00:11:15,320 --> 00:11:17,160
If you don't eat an entire,

275
00:11:17,160 --> 00:11:18,200
say you're eating tuna fish,

276
00:11:18,200 --> 00:11:20,240
and you don't eat an entire package of tuna fish,

277
00:11:20,240 --> 00:11:22,020
that's a smell you're gonna have to live with

278
00:11:22,020 --> 00:11:23,040
for a long time,

279
00:11:23,040 --> 00:11:25,480
so it's to your advantage to consume

280
00:11:25,480 --> 00:11:27,040
the entire contents of the package.

281
00:11:27,040 --> 00:11:27,880
And this is interesting.

282
00:11:27,880 --> 00:11:29,600
There's a cinnamon roll in here.

283
00:11:30,560 --> 00:11:32,240
There is a cinnamon roll in here.

284
00:11:32,240 --> 00:11:34,920
This is an extended shelf life bread product.

285
00:11:34,920 --> 00:11:38,080
It also lasts at room temperature for a couple of years,

286
00:11:38,080 --> 00:11:41,340
which is very different from most of the bread products

287
00:11:41,340 --> 00:11:42,180
you can think of,

288
00:11:42,180 --> 00:11:44,360
because bread molds in a couple of weeks.

289
00:11:44,360 --> 00:11:46,760
These have been formulated so that the water activity,

290
00:11:46,760 --> 00:11:49,720
which is the amount of free moisture

291
00:11:49,720 --> 00:11:52,880
that would be available to microbes if they were present,

292
00:11:52,880 --> 00:11:54,320
this has been lowered so much

293
00:11:54,320 --> 00:11:56,320
that if there was anything present,

294
00:11:56,320 --> 00:11:57,920
it couldn't spoil the product.

295
00:11:57,920 --> 00:11:59,000
This is one of the older,

296
00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:01,240
you were saying it's come a long way.

297
00:12:01,240 --> 00:12:03,440
There aren't cans as much anymore, is that correct?

298
00:12:03,440 --> 00:12:04,280
That's right.

299
00:12:04,280 --> 00:12:06,660
We have moved away from the can.

300
00:12:07,520 --> 00:12:09,480
We have very few items that are in cans right now.

301
00:12:09,480 --> 00:12:10,320
Off the top of my head,

302
00:12:10,320 --> 00:12:11,920
I can think of about three or four.

303
00:12:11,920 --> 00:12:15,240
We have moved to the pouch.

304
00:12:15,240 --> 00:12:18,040
These foods are thermally processed.

305
00:12:18,040 --> 00:12:20,400
It's another word for canned food,

306
00:12:21,520 --> 00:12:23,840
or we also call it retorting.

307
00:12:24,120 --> 00:12:27,280
The food inside of this container has been heat treated

308
00:12:27,280 --> 00:12:31,560
so that the food is what is called commercially sterile.

309
00:12:31,560 --> 00:12:34,320
We use this pouch for several reasons.

310
00:12:34,320 --> 00:12:36,920
This is a technology from the military.

311
00:12:36,920 --> 00:12:40,440
This is what looks like their meal-ready-to-eat packages,

312
00:12:40,440 --> 00:12:43,840
however, these are our formulations in these packages.

313
00:12:43,840 --> 00:12:46,360
The pouch is great because,

314
00:12:46,360 --> 00:12:48,100
one, when processing,

315
00:12:49,240 --> 00:12:51,040
it's not so rigid like this can,

316
00:12:51,040 --> 00:12:53,240
and in order to heat treat this can,

317
00:12:53,240 --> 00:12:55,680
you might end up over-processing the food item.

318
00:12:55,680 --> 00:12:58,800
In this pouch, which is nice and flat and uniform,

319
00:12:58,800 --> 00:13:00,160
products don't get over-processed,

320
00:13:00,160 --> 00:13:03,040
so you end up with a high-quality food item.

321
00:13:03,040 --> 00:13:05,800
Also, what's really nice is they stow very efficiently.

322
00:13:05,800 --> 00:13:08,200
This pouch takes up a lot less room

323
00:13:08,200 --> 00:13:09,680
than the bulky, rigid can,

324
00:13:09,680 --> 00:13:13,880
so we can stow more food items much more efficiently

325
00:13:13,880 --> 00:13:17,720
and use our container space as best that we can.

326
00:13:17,720 --> 00:13:21,200
And then last, it's a means of trash management.

327
00:13:21,200 --> 00:13:22,760
A can, again, is very bulky.

328
00:13:23,280 --> 00:13:24,680
If you have an empty can to deal with in the trash,

329
00:13:24,680 --> 00:13:26,280
it takes up a lot of space.

330
00:13:26,280 --> 00:13:28,560
This just folds completely flat,

331
00:13:28,560 --> 00:13:31,360
and you can store a lot of empty pouches

332
00:13:32,200 --> 00:13:35,040
in a lot less space than you can store bulky cans.

333
00:13:35,040 --> 00:13:38,560
In the drinks, all of our beverages are powdered.

334
00:13:38,560 --> 00:13:41,680
All of them come in this type of package.

335
00:13:41,680 --> 00:13:43,320
They also have a label,

336
00:13:43,320 --> 00:13:45,360
which tells them the name of the product,

337
00:13:45,360 --> 00:13:48,040
plus how much moisture needs to be added

338
00:13:48,040 --> 00:13:50,080
to the product before consuming.

339
00:13:50,080 --> 00:13:52,920
What's unique about this is you have to have a special straw

340
00:13:52,920 --> 00:13:54,440
to consume this beverage,

341
00:13:54,440 --> 00:13:57,840
and this straw is inserted into this package.

342
00:13:57,840 --> 00:13:59,720
It actually opens up a septum,

343
00:13:59,720 --> 00:14:02,080
which it opens up a one-way valve,

344
00:14:02,080 --> 00:14:03,680
and so in microgravity,

345
00:14:03,680 --> 00:14:06,240
liquid's wanting to come right out of the straw,

346
00:14:06,240 --> 00:14:08,880
so we have a clamp on the straw to keep the liquid in.

347
00:14:08,880 --> 00:14:10,760
And then when the astronauts are ready to consume,

348
00:14:10,760 --> 00:14:12,400
they release the clamp.

349
00:14:12,400 --> 00:14:13,920
The liquid flows into their mouth.

350
00:14:13,920 --> 00:14:15,120
They have to clamp it off,

351
00:14:15,120 --> 00:14:17,280
and then they have to remember that above the clamp,

352
00:14:17,280 --> 00:14:18,520
they need to get that liquid out, too,

353
00:14:18,520 --> 00:14:21,960
or else they've got some free liquid floating around.

354
00:14:21,960 --> 00:14:23,320
And the astronauts are encouraged

355
00:14:23,320 --> 00:14:25,360
to keep their fluid intake up.

356
00:14:25,360 --> 00:14:27,400
It's very easy to forget to drink in space,

357
00:14:27,400 --> 00:14:28,880
and so they're encouraged to do that often,

358
00:14:28,880 --> 00:14:30,400
and they have plenty of drinks

359
00:14:30,400 --> 00:14:32,360
to keep them very well hydrated.

360
00:14:32,360 --> 00:14:35,960
We also offer every combination of coffee and tea

361
00:14:35,960 --> 00:14:37,240
that you could imagine,

362
00:14:37,240 --> 00:14:40,680
so they have a wide selection to choose from.

363
00:14:40,680 --> 00:14:42,200
But I say before you get the M&Ms,

364
00:14:42,200 --> 00:14:44,720
they have to eat their spinach.

365
00:14:44,720 --> 00:14:46,360
In a perfect world, you would.

366
00:14:46,360 --> 00:14:50,600
We do plan menus for all of the astronauts

367
00:14:50,600 --> 00:14:52,640
so that their nutritional needs are met,

368
00:14:52,640 --> 00:14:53,760
but when it comes down to it,

369
00:14:53,760 --> 00:14:55,600
when they get ready to eat in space,

370
00:14:55,600 --> 00:14:57,080
they eat what they want to eat.

371
00:14:57,080 --> 00:14:58,680
Coming up next, we'll find out

372
00:14:58,680 --> 00:15:00,560
why all the food flown into space

373
00:15:00,560 --> 00:15:02,360
has special cooking instructions.

374
00:15:02,360 --> 00:15:05,360
But first, did you know that the Space Shuttle Discovery

375
00:15:05,360 --> 00:15:07,520
took its name from Captain Robert Scott's

376
00:15:07,520 --> 00:15:10,160
famous Antarctic Exploration Vessel?

377
00:15:10,160 --> 00:15:13,440
The RRS Discovery was built in 1901,

378
00:15:13,440 --> 00:15:14,680
designed specifically

379
00:15:14,680 --> 00:15:17,040
for an extended Antarctic expedition.

380
00:15:17,040 --> 00:15:18,960
Because the vessel would be in Antarctica

381
00:15:18,960 --> 00:15:20,320
for over two years,

382
00:15:20,320 --> 00:15:22,720
it was required to carry enough food and equipment

383
00:15:22,720 --> 00:15:26,200
to support the 40-man crew until she could be resupplied.

384
00:15:26,200 --> 00:15:29,080
With about 35,000 pounds of preserved meats

385
00:15:29,080 --> 00:15:31,680
and another 42,000 pounds of flour,

386
00:15:31,680 --> 00:15:36,600
the Discovery left for Antarctica on August 6th, 1901.

387
00:15:36,600 --> 00:15:39,240
Although there was a large supply of food aboard,

388
00:15:39,240 --> 00:15:41,600
the crew would also hunt seals and penguins,

389
00:15:41,600 --> 00:15:44,160
which helped prevent a common ailment of the time,

390
00:15:44,160 --> 00:15:45,320
scurvy.

391
00:15:45,320 --> 00:15:47,440
The Discovery returned from Antarctica

392
00:15:47,440 --> 00:15:49,520
on September 10th, 1904,

393
00:15:49,520 --> 00:15:53,600
and in 1986, was opened to the public as a museum ship.

394
00:15:53,600 --> 00:15:56,520
It is now permanently moored in Dundee, Scotland.

395
00:16:02,080 --> 00:16:03,600
Let's rejoin Tonya and Connie

396
00:16:03,600 --> 00:16:05,320
back in the Food Systems Laboratory

397
00:16:05,320 --> 00:16:07,280
at NASA Johnson Space Center.

398
00:16:07,280 --> 00:16:11,160
All of the food packages have a label on them

399
00:16:11,160 --> 00:16:13,400
and it identifies the food

400
00:16:13,440 --> 00:16:15,920
and it has some rehydration and heating information.

401
00:16:15,920 --> 00:16:17,160
This is vegetable quiche

402
00:16:17,160 --> 00:16:20,760
and it actually says to add 50 milliliters of hot water

403
00:16:20,760 --> 00:16:22,800
and to heat for five to 10 minutes.

404
00:16:22,800 --> 00:16:26,160
So there are guidelines, they don't have to guess.

405
00:16:26,160 --> 00:16:28,640
This amount is so that the food properly hydrates

406
00:16:28,640 --> 00:16:31,440
and this time is so that it has the time

407
00:16:31,440 --> 00:16:32,440
to properly hydrate

408
00:16:32,440 --> 00:16:35,200
and then it's at its optimum for consuming.

409
00:16:35,200 --> 00:16:36,920
The fuel cells used on the shuttle

410
00:16:36,920 --> 00:16:40,120
not only provide energy to run vehicle systems,

411
00:16:40,120 --> 00:16:43,000
but also produce water as a byproduct.

412
00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:44,840
Rather than dispose of this water,

413
00:16:44,840 --> 00:16:47,960
astronauts use it to help rehydrate their food.

414
00:16:47,960 --> 00:16:49,920
This system works so well

415
00:16:49,920 --> 00:16:51,840
that about half of the food and beverages

416
00:16:51,840 --> 00:16:54,080
now consumed aboard the shuttle

417
00:16:54,080 --> 00:16:55,880
are in the freeze-dried form.

418
00:16:55,880 --> 00:16:58,360
To help food move from the freeze-dried form

419
00:16:58,360 --> 00:16:59,920
to an edible meal,

420
00:16:59,920 --> 00:17:03,760
a piece of equipment called a rehydrator is used.

421
00:17:03,760 --> 00:17:07,120
The rehydrator measures the correct amount of water needed

422
00:17:07,120 --> 00:17:09,800
to be added to each food or drink package

423
00:17:09,800 --> 00:17:11,720
and allows the crew member to choose

424
00:17:11,720 --> 00:17:14,080
either hot or chilled water.

425
00:17:14,080 --> 00:17:15,960
Once the water is added to the food,

426
00:17:15,960 --> 00:17:18,480
it can be eaten in a matter of a few minutes.

427
00:17:18,480 --> 00:17:20,960
Although this might not sound very appealing,

428
00:17:20,960 --> 00:17:23,160
most crews give high marks for the food

429
00:17:23,160 --> 00:17:24,720
that's prepared for their missions.

430
00:17:24,720 --> 00:17:26,200
Why are some of these items

431
00:17:26,200 --> 00:17:27,880
packaged differently than others?

432
00:17:27,880 --> 00:17:29,480
The different types of food items

433
00:17:29,480 --> 00:17:33,160
determine what type of package the food is packaged in.

434
00:17:33,160 --> 00:17:35,120
All of our freeze-dried rehydratables

435
00:17:35,120 --> 00:17:38,480
are in this, what we call an EDO package.

436
00:17:38,480 --> 00:17:41,360
It's this clear package that has a septum

437
00:17:41,360 --> 00:17:43,680
so that the food can be rehydrated.

438
00:17:43,680 --> 00:17:45,600
The other types of foods that are in clear packages

439
00:17:45,600 --> 00:17:49,160
are what we call our bite-sized or just natural form foods,

440
00:17:49,160 --> 00:17:51,240
granola bars, cookies, candies, nuts.

441
00:17:51,240 --> 00:17:53,240
They're all in these clear types of packages.

442
00:17:53,240 --> 00:17:56,600
This is what was developed for the food system.

443
00:17:56,600 --> 00:17:59,440
However, these types of food packages

444
00:17:59,440 --> 00:18:02,560
are not 100% oxygen and moisture impermeable.

445
00:18:02,560 --> 00:18:04,120
They're actually over-wrapped

446
00:18:04,120 --> 00:18:06,200
in these types of foil packages.

447
00:18:06,200 --> 00:18:07,760
We also provide condiments.

448
00:18:07,760 --> 00:18:09,440
Peanut butter is actually one of the condiments

449
00:18:09,440 --> 00:18:10,560
that we provide.

450
00:18:10,560 --> 00:18:11,400
Very popular.

451
00:18:11,400 --> 00:18:15,320
We also have mustard, mayonnaise, ketchup, Tabasco sauce,

452
00:18:15,320 --> 00:18:16,480
relish, you name it.

453
00:18:16,480 --> 00:18:18,640
If we don't have it as a standard condiment,

454
00:18:18,640 --> 00:18:20,680
we'll get it for a crew member if they request it.

455
00:18:20,680 --> 00:18:22,280
Specifically, if they're on the space station

456
00:18:22,280 --> 00:18:25,080
and they request it, we wanna keep them very happy.

457
00:18:25,080 --> 00:18:27,920
We also have salt and pepper.

458
00:18:27,920 --> 00:18:29,840
Not your regular salt and pepper, though,

459
00:18:29,840 --> 00:18:32,040
because if you had a regular salt and pepper shaker,

460
00:18:32,040 --> 00:18:33,760
it would go everywhere, but the food,

461
00:18:33,760 --> 00:18:35,480
and that would create a huge mess.

462
00:18:35,480 --> 00:18:37,120
So we have liquid salt and pepper,

463
00:18:37,120 --> 00:18:40,200
and this is a saline solution, just salt and water.

464
00:18:40,200 --> 00:18:43,280
And then this is pepper.

465
00:18:43,280 --> 00:18:45,840
It's a pepper extract in vegetable oil.

466
00:18:45,840 --> 00:18:49,680
We are in Houston, so tortillas are a specialty, I assume.

467
00:18:49,680 --> 00:18:51,240
Tortillas are very special.

468
00:18:51,240 --> 00:18:53,520
They might be one of the most popular food items

469
00:18:53,520 --> 00:18:54,960
that we have on the menu.

470
00:18:54,960 --> 00:18:56,840
They not only serve as a food item,

471
00:18:56,840 --> 00:18:58,800
they actually work as a tool.

472
00:18:58,800 --> 00:19:01,400
Also, they have replaced bread,

473
00:19:01,400 --> 00:19:03,280
and the astronauts use tortillas

474
00:19:03,280 --> 00:19:05,800
to make every combination that you could dream of.

475
00:19:05,800 --> 00:19:08,160
So is all the food made here at Johnson?

476
00:19:08,200 --> 00:19:12,160
Not all of the food is made here at the Johnson Space Center.

477
00:19:12,160 --> 00:19:15,040
There are some food items that are what we call

478
00:19:15,040 --> 00:19:17,560
cots, commercially off-the-shelf items,

479
00:19:17,560 --> 00:19:20,240
things like candy-coated chocolates

480
00:19:20,240 --> 00:19:22,160
or a granola bar or crackers

481
00:19:22,160 --> 00:19:24,920
that we will actually buy from a food service distributor

482
00:19:24,920 --> 00:19:27,560
or from the grocery store, and then they're repackaged.

483
00:19:27,560 --> 00:19:30,640
Those are food items that don't need to be developed

484
00:19:30,640 --> 00:19:32,000
specifically for spaceflight.

485
00:19:32,000 --> 00:19:35,200
We don't want to reinvent the wheel, so to speak.

486
00:19:35,200 --> 00:19:37,600
Do you put any special markings or anything on the packages

487
00:19:38,240 --> 00:19:40,400
so everybody knows whose food is whose?

488
00:19:40,400 --> 00:19:42,720
All of the food items are actually color-coded.

489
00:19:42,720 --> 00:19:45,920
Each astronaut has a color that belongs to them.

490
00:19:45,920 --> 00:19:47,840
Right now, the station astronauts

491
00:19:47,840 --> 00:19:49,520
have red, yellow, and green dots,

492
00:19:49,520 --> 00:19:52,600
and so all they have to do is look on their food package,

493
00:19:52,600 --> 00:19:54,920
and in this corner of the label is a color dot,

494
00:19:54,920 --> 00:19:57,520
and so if you're red, you can look for your red food.

495
00:19:57,520 --> 00:19:59,520
Now, if it's regular menu food,

496
00:19:59,520 --> 00:20:01,000
you might not be so hurt

497
00:20:01,000 --> 00:20:04,160
if someone happens to eat your red carrot coins,

498
00:20:04,160 --> 00:20:05,880
but if it's bonus food

499
00:20:05,880 --> 00:20:09,160
that you've specifically picked out for yourself,

500
00:20:09,160 --> 00:20:10,920
you're not gonna be so happy

501
00:20:10,920 --> 00:20:13,000
when someone eats something that has a red dot on it

502
00:20:13,000 --> 00:20:15,400
or came out of a box that had your name on it.

503
00:20:15,400 --> 00:20:18,080
Okay, some astronauts say that food actually tastes different

504
00:20:18,080 --> 00:20:20,040
once they get up there than what they've had down here

505
00:20:20,040 --> 00:20:21,000
when they were eating it.

506
00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:23,200
How do you compensate for that?

507
00:20:23,200 --> 00:20:24,040
That is true.

508
00:20:24,040 --> 00:20:28,440
Some astronauts do note that food tastes different in orbit

509
00:20:28,440 --> 00:20:31,000
as opposed to what it tastes like here on the ground.

510
00:20:31,000 --> 00:20:32,400
One of the reasons that that could happen

511
00:20:32,400 --> 00:20:33,880
is there is a fluid shift

512
00:20:33,880 --> 00:20:36,560
when astronauts are in microgravity,

513
00:20:36,560 --> 00:20:38,240
and so because of that fluid shift,

514
00:20:38,240 --> 00:20:42,440
it might actually lessen their taste and smell perception.

515
00:20:42,440 --> 00:20:44,840
Also, most of what, when you're eating,

516
00:20:44,840 --> 00:20:46,960
most of what you're tasting

517
00:20:46,960 --> 00:20:48,720
comes from actually from what you're smelling,

518
00:20:48,720 --> 00:20:50,920
so if there is that fluid shift,

519
00:20:50,920 --> 00:20:53,000
you might not be smelling as much,

520
00:20:53,000 --> 00:20:54,360
therefore not tasting things

521
00:20:54,360 --> 00:20:57,560
that may not appear to be as flavorful,

522
00:20:57,560 --> 00:20:59,520
but we do actually take some measures

523
00:20:59,520 --> 00:21:01,240
to compensate for that.

524
00:21:01,240 --> 00:21:02,600
We offer Tabasco sauce.

525
00:21:02,600 --> 00:21:04,920
We offer picani sauce and hot sauce,

526
00:21:04,920 --> 00:21:07,800
things to jazz it up, spice things up a little bit.

527
00:21:08,840 --> 00:21:11,600
Some astronauts' tastes change from Earth

528
00:21:11,600 --> 00:21:12,840
to when they are in orbit.

529
00:21:12,840 --> 00:21:14,200
Someone says that they can't live

530
00:21:14,200 --> 00:21:16,080
without orange juice for breakfast,

531
00:21:16,080 --> 00:21:17,320
then when they get into space,

532
00:21:17,320 --> 00:21:19,080
they can't stand orange juice.

533
00:21:19,080 --> 00:21:21,000
There's not necessarily an explanation for it.

534
00:21:21,000 --> 00:21:22,280
It just sometimes happens,

535
00:21:22,280 --> 00:21:24,440
or some astronauts don't particularly like

536
00:21:24,440 --> 00:21:25,880
something on the ground.

537
00:21:25,880 --> 00:21:28,040
When they're up there, they can't get enough of it.

538
00:21:28,040 --> 00:21:30,000
When an astronaut's getting ready to go into orbit,

539
00:21:30,000 --> 00:21:31,520
how do they decide what they're gonna eat?

540
00:21:31,520 --> 00:21:32,640
How do they pick the food

541
00:21:32,640 --> 00:21:34,360
and create a menu for themselves?

542
00:21:34,360 --> 00:21:35,800
The astronauts come to our lab

543
00:21:35,800 --> 00:21:38,240
and they actually go through a process called approbation,

544
00:21:38,240 --> 00:21:40,080
where they consume the menu

545
00:21:40,080 --> 00:21:41,440
the way it has been planned for them.

546
00:21:41,440 --> 00:21:43,000
So they will come to our lab

547
00:21:43,000 --> 00:21:44,320
and they will eat breakfast.

548
00:21:44,320 --> 00:21:46,760
They'll eat the entire breakfast that's planned for them,

549
00:21:46,760 --> 00:21:48,200
then they'll eat lunch,

550
00:21:48,200 --> 00:21:49,800
and that gives them the opportunity

551
00:21:49,800 --> 00:21:52,240
to eat the food as they would in space

552
00:21:52,240 --> 00:21:53,760
and see how much they like it,

553
00:21:53,760 --> 00:21:55,160
because when they're in our lab

554
00:21:55,160 --> 00:21:57,000
going through a food evaluation session,

555
00:21:57,000 --> 00:21:59,360
they're only eating one or two bites of each food item,

556
00:21:59,360 --> 00:22:01,400
and that's not a good indicator

557
00:22:01,400 --> 00:22:04,480
or a very good indicator of how well they like a food.

558
00:22:04,480 --> 00:22:06,520
When they come in and they sit down and they eat breakfast

559
00:22:06,520 --> 00:22:08,560
and they eat an entire serving of scrambled eggs

560
00:22:08,560 --> 00:22:10,360
or an entire serving of waffles,

561
00:22:10,360 --> 00:22:12,480
then they can say, yeah, I like it that much.

562
00:22:12,480 --> 00:22:13,760
I definitely want that on my menu,

563
00:22:13,760 --> 00:22:15,600
or no way, just a bite or two is enough.

564
00:22:15,600 --> 00:22:16,560
I'm not eating that.

565
00:22:16,560 --> 00:22:18,520
Or they might decide that they like something so much

566
00:22:18,520 --> 00:22:21,480
that they want it to repeat more than once on their menu,

567
00:22:21,480 --> 00:22:22,960
so that gives them the opportunity

568
00:22:22,960 --> 00:22:24,680
to taste everything again,

569
00:22:24,680 --> 00:22:27,000
give feedback before their menu is finalized,

570
00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:28,560
because it is very important

571
00:22:28,560 --> 00:22:31,080
that the astronauts eat exactly what they want

572
00:22:31,080 --> 00:22:33,640
and they're never given something that they don't like.

573
00:22:33,640 --> 00:22:35,400
On early missions, shuttle crews

574
00:22:35,400 --> 00:22:38,400
were all given the exact same meal to eat.

575
00:22:38,400 --> 00:22:39,720
Although always nutritious,

576
00:22:39,720 --> 00:22:41,440
astronauts would sometimes be stuck

577
00:22:41,440 --> 00:22:43,200
with a food they didn't like.

578
00:22:43,200 --> 00:22:45,400
NASA scientists soon realized

579
00:22:45,400 --> 00:22:47,680
personalized meals made more sense,

580
00:22:47,680 --> 00:22:49,400
so after the seventh shuttle mission,

581
00:22:49,400 --> 00:22:51,560
NASA began allowing each astronaut

582
00:22:51,560 --> 00:22:53,120
to choose their own menu.

583
00:22:53,120 --> 00:22:55,880
Currently, International Space Station astronauts

584
00:22:55,880 --> 00:22:58,360
can choose from hundreds of different food items

585
00:22:58,360 --> 00:23:00,440
to make up their personal menu.

586
00:23:00,440 --> 00:23:02,520
When an astronaut's menu's been chosen,

587
00:23:02,520 --> 00:23:04,640
it's analyzed by a dietician

588
00:23:04,640 --> 00:23:07,120
to make sure it's nutritionally appropriate.

589
00:23:07,120 --> 00:23:09,760
Once the menu's approved, the meals are packaged

590
00:23:09,760 --> 00:23:12,240
and placed in containers for spaceflight.

591
00:23:12,240 --> 00:23:13,400
This is a food container

592
00:23:13,400 --> 00:23:15,720
that they use on the International Space Station.

593
00:23:15,720 --> 00:23:18,800
This is what all of their food items are stowed in.

594
00:23:20,040 --> 00:23:24,880
It's labeled on three sides with labels.

595
00:23:24,880 --> 00:23:27,080
All of the American food that is on the space station

596
00:23:27,080 --> 00:23:28,320
has a blue label,

597
00:23:28,320 --> 00:23:31,480
and all of the Russian food containers have red labels.

598
00:23:31,480 --> 00:23:33,680
And each label has a lot of information on it.

599
00:23:33,680 --> 00:23:35,800
It describes what kind of food container it is.

600
00:23:35,800 --> 00:23:37,880
We've broken foods down into different categories.

601
00:23:37,880 --> 00:23:40,440
This actually is a meat and entrees container.

602
00:23:40,440 --> 00:23:41,480
It has a container number,

603
00:23:41,480 --> 00:23:44,360
so for inventory tracking purposes, we have that.

604
00:23:44,360 --> 00:23:46,440
Barcode also serves for that purpose.

605
00:23:46,440 --> 00:23:48,720
A big number nine that shows what

606
00:23:48,720 --> 00:23:52,480
ISS expedition crew gets this container.

607
00:23:52,480 --> 00:23:55,440
So when they're unloading and moving around containers,

608
00:23:55,440 --> 00:23:57,720
because space is at a premium on the space station,

609
00:23:57,720 --> 00:24:00,840
it's a lot easier to identify your missions,

610
00:24:00,840 --> 00:24:03,960
increment number, and of course, bilingual labels,

611
00:24:03,960 --> 00:24:05,480
so we have things in Cyrillic.

612
00:24:06,600 --> 00:24:11,040
Food items are stowed in these containers very efficiently.

613
00:24:11,040 --> 00:24:13,200
Every bit of the space is utilized.

614
00:24:13,200 --> 00:24:14,920
And what's unique about these containers

615
00:24:14,920 --> 00:24:16,880
is they're actually collapsible.

616
00:24:16,880 --> 00:24:20,640
These pins remove from these containers,

617
00:24:20,640 --> 00:24:22,800
and these walls collapse.

618
00:24:22,800 --> 00:24:25,440
So it encourages the crew members

619
00:24:25,440 --> 00:24:27,200
to break these containers down.

620
00:24:27,200 --> 00:24:29,840
They're actually recyclable containers.

621
00:24:29,840 --> 00:24:31,320
Each one of these food containers

622
00:24:31,320 --> 00:24:33,280
actually holds enough food

623
00:24:33,280 --> 00:24:35,360
for three crew members for one day.

624
00:24:35,360 --> 00:24:40,040
So that gives you an idea of how much food is required

625
00:24:40,040 --> 00:24:42,320
and just how much space it takes up.

626
00:24:42,320 --> 00:24:43,640
With feedback from the crews,

627
00:24:43,640 --> 00:24:45,240
the food being processed for space

628
00:24:45,240 --> 00:24:49,440
is moving even closer to being as Earth-like as possible.

629
00:24:49,440 --> 00:24:50,920
The most requested food item

630
00:24:50,920 --> 00:24:54,080
for astronauts in space is shrimp cocktail.

631
00:24:54,120 --> 00:24:57,640
Some other favorites include steak, lemonade, and brownies.

632
00:24:57,640 --> 00:24:59,760
Coming up on part two of this special edition

633
00:24:59,760 --> 00:25:01,280
of Destination Tomorrow,

634
00:25:01,280 --> 00:25:03,680
Jennifer Pulley speaks with Michelle Perchonok

635
00:25:03,680 --> 00:25:06,760
about how NASA plans to feed astronauts in the future.

636
00:25:06,760 --> 00:25:09,640
And Johnny Alonzo speaks with astronaut Mike Foll

637
00:25:09,640 --> 00:25:12,840
about what it's actually like to live and eat in space.

638
00:25:12,840 --> 00:25:15,640
But first, did you know the term a square meal

639
00:25:15,640 --> 00:25:17,720
came from the fact that early British soldiers

640
00:25:17,720 --> 00:25:19,680
carried a small square cutting board with them

641
00:25:19,680 --> 00:25:21,360
to be used at mealtimes?

642
00:25:21,360 --> 00:25:24,200
When a soldier had enough food to cover the cutting board,

643
00:25:24,200 --> 00:25:25,400
he had a square meal.

644
00:25:30,960 --> 00:25:33,920
That's all for this edition of NASA's Destination Tomorrow.

645
00:25:33,920 --> 00:25:35,040
I'm Kara O'Brien.

646
00:25:35,040 --> 00:25:37,640
For all of us here at NASA, we'll see you next time.

647
00:25:51,360 --> 00:25:57,360
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology

648
00:26:21,360 --> 00:26:27,360
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology

649
00:26:51,360 --> 00:26:57,360
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology

650
00:27:12,360 --> 00:27:18,360
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology

651
00:27:21,360 --> 00:27:27,360
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology

652
00:27:28,360 --> 00:27:34,360
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology

653
00:27:35,360 --> 00:27:41,360
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology

654
00:27:42,360 --> 00:27:48,360
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology