Eating in Space

Roland Piquepaille writes "What do you think astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) ate for Thanksgiving? Roasted turkey? Wrong answer. In "Orbital Thanksgiving," NASA tells us they had tortillas and gives details about food in space. If the dining view, 200 miles over the Earth, is great, preparing meals is quite a challenge. For example, there is no refrigerator or freezer aboard the Station, so food must remain good for long periods at room temperature. And you need to avoid crumbs which could float around. This is why tortillas are favored over bread. This overview contains additional references and includes a picture of a cosmonaut preparing food in the ISS galley."

Comments

Why no herb garden?

[G4from128k]

I'm surprised that none of the astronauts has snuck a small herb garden on board. Some fresh basil, chives, or parsley would surely enliven the food. You could probably grow these plants in a dirt-free medium by stuffing damp cloth fragments into a sock and keeping it damp. You could then velcro the planter near a window and let it grow.

The plants might grow strangely in zero-G, but I'm sure the leaves would still taste OK.

COld?

[mindstrm]

Space is not cold. Space is not warm. Space is a vacuum.

Space is a great insulator.

Thankswhat?

[Seehund]

What do you think astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) ate for Thanksgiving?

Uh... That question hasn't really kept me sleepless. Considering that you're talking about the International Space Station...

Well, now that the Spanish astronaut has left the station, Americans count for a whopping 50% of the astronauts aboard the station.

I.e. one guy.

Thanksgiving?