CALIFORNIA, iNews.id – Life astronaut certainly different from on Earth. In fact, to eat, astronauts are not the same as humans on Earth.
So how do astronauts eat in space? In fact, what about NASA plans to feed astronauts on a potential mission to Mars?
Food scientist Grace L Douglas, Sara R Zwart, Scott M Smitch of NASA recently published a paper in The Journal of Nutrition that examines the topic in detail. They don’t have all the answers yet, but they are in the process of identifying the main problem.
On the International Space Station (ISS), astronauts can choose 20 percent of their diet. The remaining 80 percent comes from a shared standard set of foods.
This food is brought through supply vehicles that carry fresh fruit and vegetables in addition to food that can be stored longer. It simply wouldn’t work for a Mars mission. So things will become more challenging.
NASA’s current strategy appears to focus on a core set of principles and build a food strategy around it: Safety, stability, deliciousness, nutrition, resource minimization, variety, reliability, and usability. Any food system created will likely also require new space-ready equipment.
NASA looks set to tackle a number of different issues. The food system has to be reliable, of course, or people might starve, but variety is key for a number of reasons Cnet, Friday (26/3/2021).
Editor: Dini Listiyani
