Food of astronauts in space. What is the name of the cosmonauts' food

Probably every boy in his childhood dreamed of becoming an astronaut, fly to distant stars and establish a colony on Mars. Becoming adults, these guys acquire different professions, but hardly among them there is someone who would not want to know what the food of the astronauts is.

Life at the space station

Some people still realize their childhood dream and get a job on the ISS. Formally, everyone can become an astronaut, and not just a military pilot, as before. The determining factor is the state of health, which allows to withstand overloads and maintain the presence of the spirit in difficult conditions. Now the space tourism industry has started to develop , that is, even a person completely remote from science can get to the ISS by simply paying the appropriate amount. In general, this is also the way to fulfill the childhood dream.

The main difficulty for people who are in space is that in a state of weightlessness it becomes very difficult to perform some seemingly simple and customary actions. To eat, sleep, write a note, comb your hair, brush your teeth - all this turns into a non-trivial task.

Habitual actions

A series of entertaining videos about how difficult the life of astronauts, shot and posted on the popular resource Youtube Canadian Chris Hadfield, who worked for the ISS in 2012-2013. In particular, he touched on the unusualness of such actions as shaving, cooking, sleeping, brushing teeth, playing the guitar, washing hands, cutting nails, etc., if all this occurs in space. His channel has won thousands of fans, and on the wave of this success a similar video was shot by Samantha Christoforetti, demonstrating how astronauts wash their heads and take a shower. All this looks very unusual and funny, because it is hard for earthmen to understand what it's like to live in zero gravity.

Sleep

The ISS consists of several compartments, but these are not rooms, as in an ordinary house. Most of the place is occupied by equipment, so there is simply nowhere to arrange several bedrooms. The astronauts have a special compartment, where there are snacks in which their sleeping bags float . Climbing inside, they zip up and just fall asleep. As they themselves admit, at first very unaccustomed is the fact that the head does not have to be placed on the pillow, but then it becomes routine.

Food

But this is the most interesting thing. All fluids under the conditions of weightlessness take the form of a sphere. And from any touch can fall apart into thousands of small bubbles, which then have to be vacuumed. Therefore, from the very beginning, the cosmonauts' food was a non-trivial task. However, with the efforts of many scientists around the world, it was solved, and the result even received for five decades a certain development. So, what is the name of the cosmonauts' food and what does it represent at the present time?

Most imagine it as an unappetizing slurry in tubes, which are the dream of any boy and some adults. But this is not very relevant to modern times. The researchers are quite successful in making weightless conditions sandwiches from special bread that does not crumble, also canned food and dried with the help of special technology products, which must be diluted with water before consumption. This is done to reduce the mass of food and its volume, because the delivery of each kilogram of cargo costs 5-10 thousand dollars. At the same time, quality and taste characteristics do not suffer at all. For a long time, almost 70% of the menu of American cosmonauts consisted of semi-finished products, now they are less, and all the same sublimated products came to replace them .

But some scientists still prefer to take their favorite delicacies - if not openly, at least secretly. Far from it always happens to them. Although, when the Japanese worked in space, they used to eat according to their usual menu: sushi, green tea, noodle soup, etc. The French took truffles into orbit, and one even wanted to bring molded cheese, but he They were not allowed to do so, fearing that this would disrupt the biological situation at the station. But, fortunately, the cosmonauts' meal in tubes is not the only thing that is available today to the conquerors of the universe. The ISS always has fresh fruits and vegetables, and in case of special requests, you can always ask to deliver something delicious. True, the problem is tea - it can not always be obtained.

Ration

Scientists on the ISS need to eat in a special way, because they experience such loads that are unfamiliar to those who live in the conditions of gravity. The organism is rebuilt, and its needs are changing. In addition, the food for them should be balanced, varied and tasty, and also convenient for use in such unusual conditions.

This task first became relevant before Gagarin's flight in 1961. And then a separate laboratory was established at the Institute of Biomedical Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the task of which was the cosmonauts' food in space. It still works and for half a century has made a big step forward.

The first meal in tubes was tried by Yuri Gagarin himself. He had meat and chocolate, previously tested by pilots. The second was Herman Titov, trapeznichavshy in space three times. His menu consisted of pate, soup and compote. And he, returning to earth, confessed that he felt weak from hunger.

Then the scientists reflected not only on the form, but also on the content: the food should be simple, sufficiently nutritious and high in calories, well absorbed by the body, but tasty and varied. Now in Russia about 250 products are produced, prepared for use in weightlessness, so that, it can be said, the problem is solved, the menu can be compared with what the best restaurants offer. Moreover, all products are additionally enriched with calcium, since life in space has a negative effect on bone tissue and the musculoskeletal system.

How does the food get to the ISS?

Modern missions are quite long. Often, astronauts spend about a year in orbit, but there is simply nowhere to store supplies for the entire ISS. Fortunately, a shuttle is regularly sent to the station, delivering useful cargoes, bringing something to the ground, and sometimes taking researchers home, bringing new ones.

So, a few months ago, after the unsuccessful launch of several Russian missiles launched from Baikonur, the astronauts began to run out of food supplies. Of course, the situation was not critical, and later the food was delivered to them.

Menu of the future

Considering the grandiose plans of NASA in the foreseeable future to send to Mars an expedition for its colonization, now the question of food preparation on the Earth, rather than its preparation in space, is becoming topical. Researchers at the ISS also work on this task. Well, the technology that prepares food for astronauts, at this point, it seems, have reached their ceiling. Dehydrate even the cottage cheese, which is used by the inhabitants of the International Space Station, is in great demand, because even after processing it does not lose its taste qualities.

Where to try?

The cosmonauts' food for children and adults who are interested in this issue has been available recently. There are 11 dishes to choose from, the price of one tube is 300 rubles. All food is completely natural, does not contain flavor enhancers, preservatives and GMOs, which because of some features in principle can not contain food for astronauts. At the Exhibition of Economic Achievements, which returned its old name, it has been on sale since February. In the legendary pavilion 32, you can buy a set of "Cosmonaut food", in which there will be tubes with first, second dishes or desserts. As the organizers themselves say, all food is completely authentic with what the researchers take with the ISS. It is planned that soon there will also be vending machines for the sale of this food - it is in such demand. Perhaps, the menu will expand.