title: Food systems for space travel.
abstract: Space food systems have evolved from tubes and cubes to Earth-like food being planned for the International Space Station. The weight, volume, and oxygen-enriched atmosphere constraints of earlier spacecraft severely limited the type of food that could be used. Food systems improved as spacecraft conditions became more habitable. Space food systems have traditionally been based upon the water supply. This presentation summarizes the food development activities from Mercury through Shuttle, Shuttle/Mir, and plans for the International Space Station. Food development lessons learned from the long-duration missions with astronauts on the Mir station are also discussed. Nutritional requirements for long-duration missions in microgravity and problems associated with meeting these requirements for Mir will be elucidated. The psychological importance of food and the implications for food development activities are summarized.
authors.affiliation: NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058, USA.
authors.forename: C T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Bourland
mesh_terms: D004435:Eating; D005518:Food Preferences; D005524:Food Technology / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D008612:Menu Planning; D009751:Nutritional Requirements; D013026:Space Flight / Q000639:trends*; D018531:Spacecraft; D014893:Weightlessness