NASA Food Systems;
Past, Present and Future
Michele Perchonok, Ph.D.
Advanced Food System Lead/JSC
Mercury (1961 – 1963)
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Objective
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To orbit a manned spacecraft around Earth
To investigate man’s ability to function in space
To recover both man and spacecraft safely
Food System
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Highly engineered foods (Meal in a Pill)
Tube food (not seen or smelled/ unacceptable texture)
Cubes: (no change in flavor, texture: unlike original product)
No crumbs
Gemini (1965 – 1966)
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Objective
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To subject men and equipment to space flight up to 2
weeks in duration
Food System
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Highly engineered foods (Meal in a Pill)
More variety
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Shrimp cocktail
Chicken and vegetables
Butterscotch pudding
Applesauce
Apollo (1968 – 1972)
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Objective
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To land Americans on the Moon and return them safely to Earth
Food System
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Improved packaging with improved quality
Intermediate Moisture Food/ Natural Form
Ready-to Eat
Thermostabilized: flexible packages,
aluminum cans
First to use “spoon bowl” – container that is
opened and contents eaten with a spoon
Skylab (1973 – 1974)
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First space station with a laboratory
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Food stored at time of initial launch; no chance for
resupply
Ready to eat, rehydratable foods
Precooked, thermally stabilized or fresh food
Beverages: collapsible plastic
accordion-like dispensers
Pre-cooked or fresh food kept frozen
Shuttle/Mir (1995-1998)
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Typical Russian Space Menu Plan
6 Day cycle, 4 meals per day
Half Russian, half U.S. meals
Shuttle food warmer used to heat U.S.
food
Shuttle drinking water containers used
U.S. condiments
Delivered to Mir by Shuttle and Progress
9 month shelf life
Shuttle (1981-present)
International Space Station
(2000 – present)
 Foods are individually packaged
 All foods are preprocessed (except
fresh foods)
 Thermostabilized
 Dehydrated/Freeze dried
 Intermediate moisture
 Natural form
 Irradiated
Physiological Effects Of
Spaceflight
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Weight loss
Fluid shift
Dehydration
Constipation
Electrolyte imbalance
Calcium loss
Potassium loss
Decreased red blood cell mass
Space motion sickness
FOOD AND NUTRITION
Initiating Events
Risk Factors
Outcomes
Consequences
Altered nutrient
bioavailability
Malnutrition
Bone loss
Further
consequences
Microgravity
Inadequate food
intake
Microbial and chemical
contamination of food
Remote
Environment
Mission
Duration
Technical
limitations of food
preservation
Inadequate
food system
DEATH
Muscle wasting
Unsafe food
Renal stone risk
Incapacitation
Human
performance
failure
Adequate
nutritional
requirements
Infectious disease
Hematological
changes
Psychological
issues
Failure of
countermeasures
Carcinogenesis
Delayed return
to flight status
Inability to
rehabilitate
Pre-, in- and postflight nutritional
assessment
Radiation
Hazard
Analysis
Critical
Control
Points
plan
Specialized
food
packaging
Development of
extended shelflife food
Understanding
the psychological
benefits of food
Loss of flight
status
Advanced Food System
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The Advanced Food System is responsible for developing a food
system for the crew of a long duration mission that is safe,
nutritious, and acceptable
The Advanced Food System will initially emphasize technologies
for space vehicle applications (ISS and Shuttle) then slowly
increase focus on technologies toward tasks that support
exploration.
Assumption: There are psychological benefits of the food system
and plants
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Socialization during mealtimes
Food quality, variety and acceptability are important and encourage
eating a well-balanced diet. Highly acceptable food is a familiar
element in an unfamiliar and hostile environment, especially
important as mission durations increase.
MARS SURFACE
MICROGRAVITY
Prepackaged food system
HYPOGRAVITY
(1/6 Earth)
Planetary food system
Prepackaged food system
Hydroponic crop processing
Bioregeneration of oxygen
and carbon dioxide
EARTH
Implementation Timeline for Food System
POTATO
SWEET
POTATO
VEGETABLES
WHEAT
bread
pasta
cereal
SOYBEANS
soymilk
tofu
tempeh
DRY
PEANUT
BEAN
RICE
oil
spread
PLANETARY
FOOD
SYSTEM
STORED
SYSTEM
STORED
FOODFOOD
SYSTEM
Assessment of
current
preservation
techniques
Crops Grown
in Chambers
Shelf-life
extension
Packaging
New Technologies
Additives
Salad
Crops
VEHICLE
STORED FOOD
SYSTEM
tomato
carrot
chard
spinach
cabbage
onion
lettuce
radish
Food Processing
Technology
Food Brought
on Board
Food List
Palatability
of Food
Nutrition
Preliminary Menu Design
Variety
Re-evaluate Crop List
and//or Develop
Additional
Shelf-stable Foods
Crop Availability
Detailed Nutritional Analysis
Does not meet
nutritional requirements
Not acceptable
CONSTRAINTS:
• Crew time
• Shelf life
• Safety
• Storage
Meets nutritional
requirements
Test Menu in Controlled
Environment
Acceptable
BASELINE MENU
CONSTRAINTS:
• Multipurpose equipment
• Automated equipment
• Safety
• Power
• Size
• Water use
• Air contaminants
• Waste generated
• Noise
QUANTITATE:
• Waste generated
• Intake
• Preparation/processing
time
• Acceptability
Food System - Safety
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Foods will be free of microbial contamination
Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP)
will be done on all processes to maintain safety
Microbial growth can affect:
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Food safety
Food acceptability
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Flavor
Appearance including color
Texture
Food System - Nutrition
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Menus must provide adequate nutrition for long
duration missions
Minimum of 100% of the United States
Recommended Daily Intake (USRDI)
Adjustments to be made to compensate for affects
from long duration space mission
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Higher calcium
Lower iron
Lower sodium
TBD
Food System - Acceptability
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Acceptability of food of prime importance in long
duration missions
Crew often do not eat as much on space missions
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Decreased energy intake may compromise performance
Need large variety of foods to avoid menu fatigue
Provides opportunity for socialization
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Decreases stress
“More like home”
Transit Food System
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Microgravity requires use of prepackaged food system
Prepackaged food items will use similar preservation
methods to Shuttle and ISS
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Thermal Processing, Freeze Drying, Irradiation, Intermediate
moisture foods, Natural form foods
Other preservation methods such as non-thermal processing
will be evaluated (pulsed electric field, ultra-high hydrostatic
pressure)
Minimize mass and volume of total prepackaged food
system
Transit Food System - Constraints
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Shelf life of 3 – 5 years
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Safe
Nutritional
Acceptable
Packaging
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Compatible with processing and storage conditions
Volume and mass constraints
Consider bio-degradable, compactable, reusable
packaging to minimize solid processing
Selected Crops
Salad Crops
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Tomato
Carrot
Spinach
Cabbage
Green Onion
Lettuce
Radish
Herbs
Bell Pepper
Strawberry
CAN BE USED FRESH
Other crops
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Potato
Sweet potato
Wheat
Soybeans
Peanut
Rice
Dried beans
NEED PROCESSING
Potential Menu Items
Crops
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Potato
Wheat
Soybean
Rice
Tomato
Peanut
Sample Crop Foods
Potato, starch, sweet potato syrup
Wheat flour, seitan, starch
Soy flour, tofu, soymilk, whey,
meat analogs, okara,
Rice, rice milk, rice flour
Tomato, sauce, juice
Peanut butter, oil, meat analogs
The food system must balance the constraints of the
crop varieties and the requirements of making the crew meals.
Crop variation,
harvest to harvest
Specific crop
plant to plant,
cultivars
ingredient functionality
Nutrition
High food
quality
CROPS
CREW MEALS
Crop storage
and shelf life
Crop availability
with quantity
and frequency
Appropriate
quantities
of food
Food safety
ADVANCED
FOOD
Varied
choices
growth
harvest
WHEAT
seeds
mill
starch
extruder
starch/gluten
separator
cereal
flour
snacks
gluten
pasta
seiten
bread
growth
harvest
seeds
+ water
Rizopus oligosporus
Okara
Tempeh
fiber
Soy milk
Soy
Tofu + Whey
Food Processing Equipment
Constraints
 Water and Energy Limitations
 Limited water for processing and cleaning - consider
recycling of water during processing to capture lost
nutrients
 Restricted power for food processing and cleaning
 Waste and Contamination Concerns
 Waste water processing time
 Restricted power
 Competitive bacterial contamination of water processing
system
Crew Involvement Constraints
 Time Constraints
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Maximize exploration time
Minimize daily task time
Ease of cleaning
Ease of assembly/disassembly
 Automation Constraints
 Saves time
 Technologically intensive
 In case of power failure, is there a simple procedure for
manual override?
Food Preparation - Galley
 Menu will incorporate food items produced from
processed crops and resupply items
 Menu will provide enough variety to prevent “burn-out”
 Potential preparation equipment includes
 Bread maker
 Pasta maker
 Juicer/pulper
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Blender/food processor
Rice cooker
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Dryer/oven
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System Integration is very important
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Life Support Systems
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Air Revitalization
Water Recovery
Thermal Control
Biomass Production
Solid Waste
Management
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Medical Operations
Nutrition
Human Factors
Psychosocial
Habitability
Current Projects
Shelf Life Determination
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There is a need for the prepackaged food system to have a
shelf life of 3 – 5 years; safety, nutrition, acceptability
Challenge: Commercial food items don’t require a shelf life
of 3 – 5 years
Challenge: Packaging that has minimal mass and
maximum barrier properties
Challenge: Variety is important; there is a need for a large
number of food items
Challenge: There is a need for food items with high
acceptability
Salad Crop Handling Procedures
 Evaluate chamber grown vegetables for acceptability,
texture, color
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Lettuce
Tomatoes
Spinach
Bok Choy
Carrots
 Develop HACCP procedures including sanitation
 Challenge: Quality and yield will vary from crop to
crop. How can menus and daily nutrition intakes be
planned?
Bulk Ingredient Menu Development
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It may be possible to carry to the surface staple bulk
ingredients with a shelf life of 3 – 5 years
Will be able to compare the cost of bulk ingredients
vs. growing crops
Challenge: Determine yield of processed
ingredients using miniaturized equipment
High Protein Bread
 Functional properties of the wheat is
strongly dependent on its composition
(protein, fat, and moisture) and the
chemical properties of these macronutrients
 Formula includes flour (including bran),
salt, yeast, sugar, oil, and water. No additives were included to
minimize resupply
 Challenge: Whole wheat flour is more difficult to work with. Need
to know composition of wheat prior to processing
 Challenge: Need to incorporate processing by-products into bread
formula
 Challenge: Small variation in ingredient functionality can cause
failure in delivery of acceptable food products
Soymilk, Tofu, Okara, and
Whey (STOW) Processor
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Properties
 Flexible in processing methods and types of end products (can
produce firm, extra-firm, soft, tofu styles, okara, soymilk)
 Automated with manual over-ride
 Easily modifiable design
Challenges
 High water use and waste water generation and power consumption
 Cleaning & sanitizing
 Labor & crew time
 Storage and footprint
 By-product yields
STOW Processor
Supporting Research &
Technology Development
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External University Research
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ALS NSCORT – Purdue University, Alabama A&M,
Howard University
Tuskegee University
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Physical, sensory and chemical attributes of the glucose syrup,
peanut protein meat analog, ready-to-eat breakfast cereal, and
the sweet potato drink
Characterization and quantification of residual volatiles generated
during extrusion
Shelf-life studies of developed products, using the edible peanut
protein film
Food Technology Commercial Space Center at ISU
Supporting Research &
Technology Development
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Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR)
 Phase I – 6 month, high risk
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Biodegradable Nanocomposites for Advanced
Packaging
Fortification of Shelf Stable Formulated Foods with
Antioxidants
Phase II – 3 years, potential for
commercialization
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New High-Barrier Polymer Nanocomposite Food
Packaging Enables 5-Year Shelf-Life
Multifunctional Sanitation Method for Food Processing
NASA Research Announcement
(NRA)
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Reheating and Sterilization Technology for Food, Waste
and Water
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A dual use package will be developed that incorporates the
technology of ohmic heating. Ohmic heating can provide a dual
function of food reheating and waste containment and sterilization.
A Multipurpose Fruit and Vegetable Processing System for
Advanced Life Support
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A multipurpose fruit and vegetable processor will be designed and
constructed for use under hypogravity conditions. The processor,
with interchangeable parts, but using same power source and
controls, will be useful in processing a variety of fruits and
vegetables being proposed for the Advanced Life Support.
Website
www.advlifesupport.jsc.nasa.gov