John Glenn was the first American to eat in the near-weightless environment of Earth orbit.
And while he found the task of eating fairly easy,
he and the other Mercury astronauts found their freeze-dried
and semi-liquid menu rather limited and unappetizing.
Today, much of the food crewmembers eat aboard the space
shuttle can be found on grocery store shelves.
Astronauts select their own menus from a large array of food items.
During the food evaluation sessions, the astronauts sample a variety of foods and beverages available for flight.
Some foods, like soups and casseroles, are packaged to be rehydrated before they are eaten.
Others, such as tuna and salmon, are canned to destroy harmful microorganisms,
while dishes like beef tips with mushrooms and chicken a la king are
packaged in pouches that can be heated.
But the astronauts also find more familiar items -- nuts, granola bars
and cookies -- for ready-to-eat snacks.
All foods are processed to require no refrigeration and fresh foods must
be eaten within the first few days of a flight.
About three weeks before launch, the packed food lockers are shipped to
NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida from Houston.
Fresh foods -- such as fruits, vegetables and breads -- are loaded at Kennedy in the last few days.
Two to three days before launch, the food lockers are installed onboard the shuttle, with fresh items
being added in the last 36 hours.
For the crewmembers who inhabit the International Space Station,
meals are planned on an eight-day cycle.
Half of the food system for the station is based in the U.S. and the other half is in Russia.
While the food system is similar to the shuttle's, preparation revolves around the launch
of supplies so that the food is already onboard the station when a new crew arrives.
Station crewmembers prepare meals and eat them in the Russian Zvezda module, which
has a fold-down table that can accommodate a crew of three.
Just as space food has changed since the days of the Mercury astronauts, advances must continue
as we prepare future space travelers to return to the moon, then journey on to Mars and beyond.