Jonathan Powell looks at the challenges of getting a balanced diet in space

Dining in space has certainly moved on from high protein food and drink, stuffed toothpaste-style into aluminium tubes, that was the fare for Yuri Gagarin, the first human to eat in space onboard Vostok 1 in 1961. His meal comprised a tube of beef and liver pâté, and chocolate sauce for pudding. NASA’s Mercury astronauts of the late 1950s and early 1960s fared little better. They found their space diet of bite-sized flavoured cubes and tubes of semi-liquids wholly unappetising, with the added trouble of not being able to easily rehydrate their freeze-dried foods.

More palatable food was on offer for NASA’s Gemini and Apollo missions from 1965 to 1975. By then, hot water was available aboard spacecraft, revolutionising the rehydration process. Even chicken and vegetables were on the ‘specials’ menu, followed by butterscotch pudding. However, the crew of Gemini 3 still smuggled a corned-beef sandwich onto their orbital flight – and were duly reprimanded by NASA on their return.

Buzz Aldrin’s holy communion on the Moon – with wine and bread blessed two weeks prior to the mission, and cleared for use by NASA’s director of flight crew operations – was the first instance of food and drink consumed on the lunar surface. Aldrin and Neil Armstrong’s first meal together included bacon (in squares), sugar cookie cubes and coffee. Then, after venturing out on a moonwalk, they returned for cocktail sausages and fruit punch.

By the early 1970s and the Skylab space station era, astronauts were cooking on gas (not literally). The advent of the onboard fridge freezer meant an extended menu, boasting 70-plus food items, including shrimp cocktail, Lobster Newberg, ice cream, fresh bread and processed meats. Additionally, eating arrangements became more civilised with a table and chairs bolted to the floor.

NASA almost included alcohol, in the form of fortified wine, on the final menu for Skylab. However, the public took a dim view of the potential for inebriated astronauts in space when the news was published and NASA Cream Sherry was duly shelved.

During the Shuttle-Mir Program, American astronauts onboard the Mir space station ate mostly Russian food at the start, before slowly introducing their own foodstuffs to their fellow crew members as the missions went on. A favourite item was jello (jelly), which became a regular Sunday treat.

Today the International Space Station (ISS) boasts a veritable feast, almost as if an à la carte menu was pinned outside before entry. The seemingly lavish offerings even come with an accompaniment of condiments, such as ketchup and mustard. There are three square meals a day, plus snacking whenever you like, the aim being to ensure astronauts receive a daily intake of at least 2,500 calories.

The hours clocked up in space by astronauts are paving the way for the biggest test that faces humankind –a voyage to Mars. The goal here is to plant, grow and ultimately harvest our own food in space, and possibly on another world. Just think… even in deep space, sprouts could be on the menu.

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Photo: NASA