What Do Astronauts Eat?

Written by: Sitara Nair

To be an astronaut is one of the coolest jobs in the world. Astronauts are people who are trained in space flight, and go to space to explore and learn more about the universe. When you’re an astronaut, you often have to be up in space for multiple days, which rises the question, What do Astronauts Eat? Well, let’s find out!

What does it mean to be an Astronaut

According to NASA, one of the leading Space research companies in the world, explains that the term “astronaut” comes from the Greek words meaning “star sailor,” and “refers to all who have been launched as crew members aboard NASA spacecraft bound for orbit and beyond”. An astronaut is a special kind of space explorer who travels beyond Earth to learn more about space. Astronauts fly in rockets and live on spacecraft or space stations high above our planet. Their job is super important; they do science experiments in space, study how the human body changes without gravity, and help build and repair things like satellites and space stations. To become an astronaut, a person needs to go through lots of schooling (typically ten years!)l, and succeed in subjects like science and math. They also need to be very healthy and strong because space travel can be tough on the body. Before going into space, astronauts train for years. They learn how to float in zero gravity, use space tools, and even practice spacewalks underwater, which feels a lot like floating in space.

Living in space is very different from living on Earth. Astronauts sleep in sleeping bags that are strapped to the wall, eat food out of pouches, and exercise every day to keep their muscles strong. Let’s learn more about their special dietary habits! 

What do astronauts eat in space?

Astronauts tend to have to live in space for long periods of time (the longest trips have been for 300+ days!), from just a couple weeks to a whole year, so they need to sustain themselves. While they are up there, produce or expirable food that you would buy at the grocery store wouldn’t suffice, as much would go bad with the conditions of living in outer space. According to NASA, in history space food was often tubed. For instance in Project Mercury (1960s), food came in tubes and was freeze-dried. This kind of food was exhausting for the astronauts to eat because it wasn’t very tasty or easy to eat. However, over time food improved on space shuttles, and one of these improvements was cubed food. During the Gemini Missions, bite-sized food that was cubed was served to astronauts, and this allowed them to pick flavors, like chicken, pudding, and shrimp cocktail. The food was coated in gelatin to avoid crumbs, because crumbs in zero gravity would be so difficult to deal with! By SkyLab in the 1970s, the astronauts finally got access to dining tables and refrigerators, making the dining experience much better. The menu had 72 different food items, and astronauts didn’t just have to eat cubes or tubed things, as they had access to hot water and other things to make eating easier. For the trips that are incredibly long, like I had mentioned before, astronauts may grow foods like Potatoes, lettuce, carrots, beans, and more, and cooking can be done in space kitchens. However, this isn’t something that occurs on all journeys. 

Nowadays, it’s more advanced, and astronauts are able to eat “real food”, the stuff you see at the grocery store. 

Meals are planned heavily in advance, and there are a few different kinds of space foods:

• Rehydratable Foods:

• Water is removed before launch, added back in space.

• Examples: scrambled eggs, cereal, soup, macaroni and cheese.

• Thermostabilized Foods

  • Heat-treated to last longer and kill germs. 

• Examples: beef tips, chicken à la king, fruits in cans or pouches.

• Irradiated Foods:

• Similar to thermostabilized, like ready-to-eat meat.

• Natural Form Foods:

• Already ready to eat—nuts, cookies, granola bars.

• Drinks:

• Come as powders (coffee, tea, juice) and mixed with water using a straw.

Astronauts’ meals are carefully planned in advance because nutrition is extremely important in space. They need the right balance of vitamins and minerals to stay healthy. For example, astronauts eat less iron than we do on Earth, because too much can be harmful in space.

Since they don’t get sunlight, they also need extra vitamin D to keep their bones strong. A healthy diet helps astronauts stay strong and maintain their muscles while floating in zero gravity. So, while astronauts don’t have pizza or burgers in space, they eat healthy, carefully prepared meals that help them stay strong and ready for adventure!

What kind of food would you want to eat if you went to space??