Space foods are specially created and processed foods for astronauts to consume in space. Early space foods were unappetizing tubes or bite-sized cubes, but advances allowed for freeze-dried, thermostabilized, and natural foods. Food must be edible, provide balanced nutrition, and not float or clog equipment. Packaging uses pouches, cans, and straws. Future plans include growing foods hydroponically on space farms. Space food technology ensures astronauts' nutrition and health in the microgravity environment.

1. Seminar on SPACE
FOOD
Presented by:
KARAD SANTOSH N.
Department of Technology
SUK,KOLHAPUR
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2. INTRODUCTION
• “Space foods are those food products specially created and
processed for consumption of astronauts in outer space.”
• Advancements in food packaging, preservation, preparation
and nutrient to meet the challenges of space resulted in
many commercial products.
• Food needs to be edible throughout the mission, and it also
needs to provide all the nutrients required to avoid vitamin
deficiency diseases.
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3. PROJECT MERCURY( 1959-1963)
• The first space mission (1960)
• The first space foods were unappetizing.
• Semi-liquids product squeezed from tubes and sucked up
through straws.
• Bite-sized cubes.
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HISTORY

4. GEMINI( 1965-1966)
• Freeze dried foods.
• Grape and orange drinks, cinnamon toasted bread cubes, fruit cocktail,
chocolate cubes, turkey bites, apple-sauce, cream of chicken soup,
shrimp cocktail, beef stew.
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Sample types of food that have been
dehydrated and packaged in cellophane
for use by Gemini astronauts.

5. APOLLO( 1968-1975)
• First mission to use hot water to rehydrate
food.
• first mission that spoons were used to eat food.
• The wetness from the food made the food cling
to the spoon and not float away.
• Use of thermostabilized pouches called wet
packs.
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6. These Apollo spoon bowl parts show the
complexity and engineering that went into
the earlier years of space flight food
packaging.
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7. SKYLAB(1973-1974)
• Dinning rooms where the astronauts could sit down and eat.
• Refrigeration.
• They had 72 different types of menu items in all.
• Food warmer trays.
• Foods consisted of products such as ham, chilli, mashed potatoes, ice
cream, steak.
This Skylab food tray had individual recessed
compartments into which the canned food item
was placed for heating.
Skylab Astronaut Owen K. Garriott eating in
the Skylab dining area.
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8.  Space food is a variety of food products, specially created and
processed for consumption by astronauts in outer space.
 The food pack has rubber grips that prevent the food items from
floating.
 The meal tray is usually strapped to an object, to prevent it from
floating - and the liquid items are stored in tubes or cartons.
 The food has specific requirements of providing balanced nutrition
for individuals working in space.
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9. Modern space foods
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10. • The spacecraft and all its contents are in a state of free-fall.
• Crumbs and liquids could damage equipment or be inhaled.
• Special straws with climp are used for drinking the liquids.
• Microgravity also causes the utensils used for dining to float away.
• The knife, fork, spoon, and scissors are secured to magnets on the
food tray when they are not being used.
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11. TYPES
• Fresh foods
• Rehydratable
• Natural form
• Intermediate moisture
• Thermo-stabilized foods
• Irradiated food
• Frozen
• Refrigerated
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12. Fresh Foods
• These foods are neither processed nor artificially
preserved.
• Examples include apples and bananas.
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13. Rehydratable Foods
• Water is removed.
• Also known as freeze drying.
• Water is replaced in the foods before they are eaten.
• It include beverages as well as food items.
• Fuel cells.
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14. Natural form foods
• Ready to eat.
• Packaged in flexible pouches.
• Examples include nuts, granola bars, and cookies.
Granola bars
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15. Intermediate moisture foods
• Intermediate moisture foods are preserved by taking
some water out of the product while leaving enough
in it.
• Maintain the soft texture.
• This way, it can be eaten without any preparation.
• Dried peaches, pears, apricots, and beef jerky.
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16. Thermostabilized foods
• Heat processed.
• Stored at room temperature.
• Most of the fruits and fish (tuna fish) are thermo-stabilized in cans.
• Beef tips with mushrooms, tomatoes and eggplant, grilled chicken and
ham
• The cans open with easy-open pull tabs.
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17. Irradiated Food
• Beef steak and smoked turkey are the only irradiated
products being used at this time.
• These products are cooked and packaged in flexible foil
pouches and sterilized by ionizing radiation so they can be
kept at room temperature.
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18. FROZEN & REFRIGERATED
• Quick frozen.
• Texture & Taste.
• Examples-Quiches, casseroles, and chicken
• Refrigerated food also used.
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19. NUTRITION
• Getting enough calories.
• Vitamins and minerals.
• Same nutrients but the amounts of some differ.
• Iron-10 milligrams per day.
• Sodium is limited because too much can lead to bone
loss as well as other health problems.
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20. PACKAGING
1) Bite-sized foods :
o Modified Atmosphere Techniques.
o Each package is flushed with nitrogen three times before the final
seal apply vacuum.
o The amount of vacuum used varies depending upon the food product
2) Rehydratable packages :
o Packed in the shape of a cup and a lid.
o They are made of a flexible material to aid in trash compression.
o The septa is made from silicon rubber.
o Water injected in food.
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21. Packaging used for bite-sized foods. side view of a rehydratable food
package.
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Septum adapter with
foil laminate seal
Foil laminate beverage package
Drinking straw with clamp
Commercial condiment pouch
Other packaging materials used for space foods include retortable pouches, commercial full-
panel pullout aluminum cans, and commercial plastic pudding containers. 21

22. FUTURE SCOPE
• NASA plans to grow fruits and vegetables on
space farms, greenhouses that are temperature-
controlled, artificially lit.
• Hydroponic system
• Crops might include soybeans, peanuts, spinach,
cabbage, lettuce and rice.
• Wheat berries and soybeans can be grown and
processed into pasta or bread
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23. CONCLUSION
Space food is essential for astronauts. NASA developing
more and more research on space food which gives higher
energy for astronaut.
In the space stay of the long term, the storage technology of
the food is important. Surplus food and the establishment of
a safe save method of the food are essential.
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