Food is now prepared for space
[STDFacts10thedition]
Imagine going camping for more than a week with saveral of your close friends. You would make sure you have plenty of food and the gear to cook and eat it with. The food would have to be stored properly and be nonperishable to avoid spoilage. After finishing your meal, or at the end of your camping trip, you would then strow all your gear and dispose of your trash properly jusy before the ride home.
Astronauts basically do the same thing when they go to space. Preparation varies with the food type. Some foods can be eaten in their natural forms. Other foods require adding water. There are no refrigerators in space, so space food must be stored and prepared properly to avoid spoilage, especially on longer missions.
Astronauts eat three meals a day: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Nutritionists ensure the food astonauts eat provides them with a balanced supply of vitamins and minerals. Calorie requrements differ for astronauts. For instance, a small woman would require only about 1900 calories a day and large man would require about 3200 calories.
As on earth, space food comes in disposable packages. Astronauts must throw their packages away when they have finished eating. Some packaging actually prevents food from flying away. The food packaging is designed to be flexibleband easier to use, as well as to maxime space when stowing or dispoting of food containers.
