Everyone is probably interested in how and in what conditions a person can live in zero gravity. This question interested not only scientists, but also science fiction writers of the last century. We know that there is absolutely no air, water or food in space. Space is an airless, endless space where terrible cold, low pressure and constant radiation reign.
In the second half of the twentieth century, humanity finally challenged this element. And in order to protect astronauts from its adverse factors, scientists invented special equipment, protective equipment, spacesuits and special food that allowed people to live and work in zero gravity.
The development of space food began in 1958 at the Research Institute of Aviation and Space Medicine by a small group of doctors, biochemists and engineers-technologists under the leadership of a hygienist, Colonel of the Medical Service Yuri Artemyevich Arutyunov. The specialists were tasked with selecting foods and rations that could be consumed by cosmonauts in a state of weightlessness.
There was no experience of space flight, and before the first flight it was not known whether it was possible to eat in zero gravity and what the composition of the products should be, whether it would be possible to chew, swallow, and whether the food would be able to move along the digestive tract. The requirements that the foods and rations for consumption in zero gravity conditions had to meet were formulated, their energy and nutritional qualities, and the standard content of essential nutrients in the daily ration were determined.
The products had to be tasty, of good quality, have an attractive appearance, have a high caloric value, and retain their taste and nutritional properties for a long time. With a minimum weight and volume, the products had to be ready for consumption without additional culinary preparation, even when cold. The issue of food composition and product range was being resolved. By that time, there had already been positive results in feeding high-altitude pilots with liquid products during flights in oxygen masks. Experts decided that the same principle of consuming liquid and pureed food should be used as the basis for nutrition in zero-gravity conditions.
At first, animals took part in testing special food, the experiment was conducted both in terrestrial conditions and during orbital flights. Then it was people’s turn. Products were tested in terrestrial conditions, at the Institute of Nutrition of the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences, with young people aged 20 to 35 participating. To study the individual characteristics of the body, experiments were conducted with the participation of cosmonaut candidates, which were carried out in a pressure chamber in complete isolation for fifteen days. Employees of the nutrition laboratory of the Research Institute conducted training with future cosmonauts on the technology of preparing individual dishes from food components and concentrates.
Shortly before the April launch, a series of daily credit tests were conducted in a pressure chamber. Yuri Gagarin participated in the credit event on January 27, 1961.
Before the flight, the first cosmonaut had breakfast. He was offered meat puree, blackcurrant jam and coffee.
And this is how he recalled his space flight in the book “The Road to Space”: “… I did not feel either hunger or thirst during the flight. But according to a given program, at a certain time I ate and drank water from a special water supply system. I ate food prepared according to recipes developed by the Academy of Medical Sciences. I ate the same way as in terrestrial conditions; only one problem – I could not open my mouth wide …”
Thanks to the flight of Yuri Gagarin, based on his experience, developments were subsequently carried out on the fundamental improvement of space nutrition, new recipes and technologies for using products during long flights were invented. All cosmonauts who made longer flights in Earth orbit took space food.
Currently, in order to maintain the necessary level of performance and health, scientists have developed an entire system for long-term maintenance of the life and performance of cosmonauts in orbit. A program has also been developed and implemented to address the problems of the lack of the possibility of periodic replenishment of supplies during an interplanetary space flight. It is associated with special requirements for the diet as a whole and for the products included in it, as well as for the technology of their preparation: minimum dimensions and weight, ease of use and storage, convenience of eating food that would be able to stimulate the appetite and would not become boring for a long time.
The development of food rations was carried out taking into account the technical capabilities of a specific spacecraft and the features of the flight program. It was envisaged to store food products in special refrigeration chambers, which allowed to increase the warranty period of their preservation and nutritional properties.
When developing food rations, it was necessary to take into account the variety of factors in action, each of which could cause a restructuring of metabolic processes in the body and change the needs of the cosmonaut’s body for certain food components. The developed rations corresponded to accepted physiological standards and met the recommendations of the World Health Organization.
The Yuri Gagarin Memorial Museum, as well as the First Flight Museum, exhibit samples of space food that cosmonauts took in the distant 60s of the last century. These are paste-like nutritional mixtures in special sealed packages – tubes. Before eating, the cosmonaut had to unscrew the cap, wrap his lips around the catheter and squeeze a portion of the tube’s contents into his mouth. In zero gravity conditions, this had to be done very carefully, since the food could fly around the cabin, clog it and disrupt the functionality of the control devices.
According to cosmonauts, tea is considered the most difficult to prepare from dehydrated products. And one of the most delicious, according to cosmonauts, is freeze-dried cottage cheese with cranberries and nuts, which becomes very fresh, nutritious and tasty with the addition of water.
You can also try space food and appreciate its taste. It is available at the cash desks in the Cosmonaut House and the First Flight Museum, as well as in the visitor center of the Klushino Museum-Reserve. Space food is also available at the cash desk of the museum in the Park of Space Conquerors in the Saratov Region. This special food is prepared using unique technologies in compliance with all the standards established by the International Health Organization.
Having tried space food, you will be able to join the secrets of space cuisine, you will be able to find your favorite taste, conduct a fascinating and useful experiment on yourself and feel like real astronauts. You will be able to cook food “in space style” and enjoy it after eating it, because it is very tasty and healthy. You will not feel hungry for a long time, you will maintain your efficiency, energy and excellent mood, like the first conquerors of Space.
Imagine online ordering groceries. from Earth and having them delivered directly to your space station doorstep. Someday, e-commerce companies might extend their reach beyond our planet, delivering essentials even in zero gravity.