WEBVTT

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John Glenn was the first American to eat in the near-weightless environment of Earth orbit.

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And while he found the task of eating fairly easy,

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he and the other Mercury astronauts found their freeze-dried

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and semi-liquid menu rather limited and unappetizing.

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Today, much of the food crewmembers eat aboard the space

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shuttle can be found on grocery store shelves.

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Astronauts select their own menus from a large array of food items.

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During the food evaluation sessions, the astronauts sample a variety of foods and beverages available for flight.

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Some foods, like soups and casseroles, are packaged to be rehydrated before they are eaten.

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Others, such as tuna and salmon, are canned to destroy harmful microorganisms,

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while dishes like beef tips with mushrooms and chicken a la king are

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packaged in pouches that can be heated.

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But the astronauts also find more familiar items -- nuts, granola bars

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and cookies -- for ready-to-eat snacks.

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All foods are processed to require no refrigeration and fresh foods must

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be eaten within the first few days of a flight.

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About three weeks before launch, the packed food lockers are shipped to

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NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida from Houston.

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Fresh foods -- such as fruits, vegetables and breads -- are loaded at Kennedy in the last few days.

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Two to three days before launch, the food lockers are installed onboard the shuttle, with fresh items

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being added in the last 36 hours.

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For the crewmembers who inhabit the International Space Station,

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meals are planned on an eight-day cycle.

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Half of the food system for the station is based in the U.S. and the other half is in Russia.

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While the food system is similar to the shuttle's, preparation revolves around the launch

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of supplies so that the food is already onboard the station when a new crew arrives.

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Station crewmembers prepare meals and eat them in the Russian Zvezda module, which

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has a fold-down table that can accommodate a crew of three.

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Just as space food has changed since the days of the Mercury astronauts, advances must continue

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as we prepare future space travelers to return to the moon, then journey on to Mars and beyond.

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