On Earth, bread is an important food. Some people love sourdough, while others enjoy steamed buns or naan. But in space, bread can be a dangerous item.
Gravity keeps food on your plate when you’re on Earth, but in space, there is not enough gravity to keep food from floating around. So the crumbs that break off from most breads could drift into an astronaut’s eye or damage important machines.
In the weightless environment of space, astronauts depend on special space food. When making these meals, scientists must make sure the ingredients don’t rot while still keeping the food nutritious and tasty.
Science of eating in space
When astronauts first began travelling to space, they ate food in the form of a paste packed in tubes. They would squeeze it out like toothpaste. Does that sound like a yummy way to eat?
Over the years, scientists have developed technology to give astronauts tastier foods that help them adjust to life in space (see graphic). They carefully calculate the required nutrients in each meal and use extra spices and sauces to ensure the food is packed with flavour. This is important because regular meals don’t taste the same in orbit.
This is related to how being in space affects the human body. There is not enough gravity to pull your bodily fluids downwards, so they rise and pool in an astronaut’s upper body and head. This makes their nose feel as stuffy as if they had a cold.
Thus, it is very hard for astronauts to taste their food. But luckily, they can use different sauces to add more flavour and excitement to meals.
Food on Tiangong space station
We can also take a look at how the food served on China’s Tiangong space station provides astronauts with a taste of home.
The Astronaut Centre of China has a menu with over 190 different dishes, such as steamed white rice, mapo tofu and freeze-dried vegetables. Astronauts can even enjoy lettuce grown on the space station.
Using a “space oven”, astronauts can also have freshly cooked food. This has more nutrients and a better texture than pre-packaged meals.
But food technology doesn’t just keep astronauts healthy; it also keeps them connected to Earth.
In space, crew members can celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival and Chinese New Year with treats like glutinous rice dumplings, mooncakes and rice cakes. Herbal drinks and traditional Chinese medicine also help astronauts stay healthy.
With the power of science, food can be nutritious and tasty even under the extreme conditions of space.
Find out more about space food at the Hong Kong Space Museum’s new special exhibition, “Reaching for the Cosmos: Astronauts’ Log Aboard Tiangong”, which opens on November 25 and runs until July 19, 2027.
Young Post has partnered with Hong Kong Science Museum and Hong Kong Space Museum to encourage your pursuit of science. Every month, the museums answer questions about the world around us, the cosmos and beyond.
