Aerospace food is essentially the same as ordinary food on the ground, providing energy and nutrition for the human body. However, in order to save the space of the spacecraft and the payload at the time of launch, the spaceflight food carried by the astronauts should be as light weight and small as possible. For example, good nutritional drying cookies and drying sausages can be restored to a flavor similar to that of fresh food by soaking them in water when they are eaten. Spaceflight food in addition to withstand the impact of space special environmental factors, such as impact, vibration, acceleration and other tests without failure, but also for astronauts in weightlessness conditions physiological changes in the index of the dietary nutrients to make appropriate adjustments, such as muscle atrophy requires that the food must provide sufficient high-quality proteins; loss of bone mass requires that the food to provide sufficient calcium and the appropriate proportion of calcium and phosphorus and vitamins.
How astronauts eat during spaceflight activities is not a small test for them. In weightless conditions, a cup full of water towards the down towards the up put are the same, the cup of water will not automatically float or spilled out, if placed on the table, the cup will fly up along with the water. Therefore, astronauts on the ground in the original eating, drinking habits to space can not be applied. Generally speaking, all kinds of food, parts, utensils, etc. are fixed. Astronauts from the food cupboard out of food, to contain food composite plastic film bag cut open a small mouth, the fork and chopsticks into the pocket fork sent to the mouth. In order to prevent food debris flying around, affecting the astronauts or the normal work of the equipment, this food is often small packages, made of similar size with the mouth of the square, rectangular or small ball-shaped "bite to eat" food, eat without having to cut. If the astronauts want to drink water, eat soup, soup, juice, jam, directly from the plastic pocket or toothpaste-like soft aluminum tube, little by little to the mouth can be squeezed.
With the development of rocket technology, astronauts from the ground to bring food can be richer. Such as wet food or semi-moist food with juice turkey, beef, etc., they have the same moisture content as the normal food eaten on the ground. Astronauts are now able to use microwave heaters to bake food in the capsule. This microwave heater is different from the one used on the ground. It has special recessed compartments on it. In order to prevent the food from floating up when heated, the food to be heated must be fixed in these small compartments, and after plugging in the power supply, the food can be heated up to a delicious degree in a while. With it, the astronauts will be able to taste the hot, fragrant braised beef, scrambled eggs, pork chops and other food, the taste of which is not much different from that on the ground