The first space barbecue in history
Although they make the dreams of millions of people come true, astronauts do not have a peaceful daily space life. Indeed, American astronaut Scott Kelly, for example, described his typical day aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
He woke up around 6:45 a.m. and filled his day with numerous tasks such as station maintenance or a sports session. He also talked about food in space. According to him, it was OK, with obviously freeze-dried or ready-to-eat meals, but sometimes the crew made sandwiches with tortillas, although the latter left crumbs everywhere.
Speaking of feeding in space, Chinese astronauts have recently been in the news. The reason? They just celebrated humanity's first ever barbecue in space.
Grilled chicken and beef cooked in a hot air oven
Indeed, the crew aboard the Tiangong space station, a modular station in low Earth orbit that serves as a scientific laboratory and platform for experimenting with life in space, was delivered a hot air oven via the Shenzhou-21 spacecraft.
Without a second thought, the astronauts prepared a veritable feast with grilled chicken wings, which took 28 minutes to cook at a temperature of 190 degrees Celsius, as well as a beef dish.
All with optimal safety, cooking that does not produce smoke thanks to an integrated purification system and food that is kept in the oven, which prevents it from floating in the cabin.
“They can bake cakes, roast peanuts or grill, and it's really delicious. This means astronauts can enjoy special meals on weekends, birthdays or holidays. This greatly contributes to enriching their culinary experience and improving their living conditions in orbit,” Liu Weibo, deputy chief designer of astronaut systems at the China Astronaut Research and Training Center, told Chinese national broadcaster CCVT.
A revolution for the space crew community
The development of this oven is a real breakthrough for space life. If the crews could already reheat their meals, they now have a kitchen that allows them to reproduce the dishes they are used to preparing on Earth.
With such advances which finally offer the possibility to astronauts and cosmonauts to eat properly in space, how can we not think of Yuri Gagarin. In 1961, this Soviet cosmonaut became the first man to eat in space, with a meal consisting of a tube of beef and liver paste, accompanied by a… chocolate sauce. Certainly great gastronomy for the time!
Source: IFLScience
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