Space Food

Space Food refers to the types of food consumed by astronauts and other people in space. Unlike conventional eating, eating in zero-gravity presents a unique set of challenges. The crumbs and other small particulates of food produced while eating terrestrially can easily be disposed of within a gravity well, but in zero-gravity, they in fact pose a safety hazard. The small bits of food can very easily fly off of plates and become stuck in sensitive hardware, or elsewise make a spacecraft cabin dirty. As such, food is typically packaged inside of sealed containers in a liquid or semi-liquid form. Astronauts may consume other forms of food that produce crumbs (such as energy bars), but they must be careful when doing so.

Due to the long periods spent in space, food must be properly preserved. Fresh food is only suitable for consumption for two to three days after launch, and typically is only delivered to Earth-orbiting space stations. Outposts on the Moon and Mars only receive long-storage food. One of the more common forms of long-storage food is rehydrated food, which is regular food that has had its water removed through various methods. Due to a lack of water, microorganisms do not thrive, and the food lasts for significantly longer. Astronauts can simply rehydrate food in hot water in order to eat it. Food like sausage and beef jerky is also popular due to their intermediate moisture state.

Growing food in space through hydroponics is a procedure that is still being developed, but some advancements have been made in Martian outposts. Due to the higher gravity of Mars, plants are more easily able to grow and thrive, providing astronauts there with fresher food than they receive from Earth supply ships. Although attempts made on the Moon and in orbit have been less successful, they are still ongoing.