Space Food on Mission Menus

Today astronauts have dozens of different foods to choose from. They also play a big part in the selection process. About five months before a mission launches, crewmembers get to visit the Space Food Systems Laboratory at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. At the lab, astronauts act as food critics. They sample 20 to 30 items and rank them on a scale of 1 to 9 in appearance, color, smell, taste and texture. Any food that scores a 6 or higher can make it onto the menu.

The astronauts and cosmonauts of the STS-105
­NASA via Getty Images
The astronauts and cosmonauts of the STS-105 toast with their space beverages.

Astronauts don't get the final say, however. A dietitian checks the menu to make sure that it contains enough nutrients. Astronauts need 100 percent of their daily requirements of vitamins and minerals.

But because the environment in space is different than that of Earth, they need to adjust their intake of certain nutrients. For example, astronauts need less iron than they do on Earth. Iron is mainly used to make new red blood cells but astronauts have fewer red blood cells in space. If they eat too much iron, it can build up and cause health problems. Astronauts also need extra calcium and vitamin D, because bones don't get the exercise they need to stay strong in the weightless environment.

Out of This World Treats
In 1998, 36 years after becoming the first American to orbit the Earth, John Glenn made his triumphant return to space. But before he launched, he had one request -- he wanted Tang. The sugary, powdered orange beverage has been a pop-culture icon ever since it became the drink-of-choice on the Gemini and Apollo missions. Contrary to popular belief, Tang wasn't developed for the space program -- General Foods introduced it to consumers in 1957. However, the company did capitalize on the drink's space missions by making its advertising synonymous with space travel.

Astronaut ice cream is another space food popular on Earth. Kids buy it at science museums because it tastes like a crunchy version of the real thing. But the astronaut ice cream sold on Earth isn't really authentic -- it's just ice cream that has been freeze-dried. Real astronaut ice cream is a mixture of coconut fat, milk solids and sugar that is freeze-dried and compressed into cubes under high pressure. The cubes are coated in gelatin to prevent them from crumbling. Apollo 7's crew is the only group that actually ate astronaut ice cream.

But how does food stay fresh in space? And where do necessities like water come from? Learn how food gets into space in the next section.