AVAILABLE FROM PUB TYPE

Abstract

From John Glenn's mission to orbit Earth to the International Space Station program, space food research has met the challenge of providing food that tastes good and travels well in space. Early food dehydration was achieved by cutting meat, fish, and certain fruits into thin strips and drying them in sunlight. Rubbing food with salt or,soaking it in salt water, an early form of curing food, also helped preserve it. Later techniques were developed for cooking, processing, preserving, and storing food in sealed containers. With the developments of pasteurization and canning, a much larger variety of foods could be stored and carried on long journeys. More recently, refrigeration and quick-freezing have been used to help preserve food flavor and nutrients and prevent spoilage. While these forms of packaged food products are fine for travel on Earth, they are not always suitable for use on space flights. There are limitations to weight and volume when traveling, and the microgravity conditions experienced in space also affect the food packaging. This guide provides in-depth information about preserving and packaging food for space. Also included are three activities for grades K-4 and five activities for grades 5-8. (ASK) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. AA A