Space food is famously unpalatable, given it has to be rocketed up and stay safe for long periods without resupply.
Not only is the food itself mostly dehydrated powder, but the ability of astronauts to taste it is limited due to eating it in microgravity.
So it’s no surprise that one of the first questions stranded NASA astronauts Sunita ‘Suni’ Williams and Barry ‘Butch’ Wilmore were asked on their return home was about what food they missed most.
The pair gave their first press conference last night after splashing down on Earth two weeks ago and taking some time to rest and recover.
Butch didn’t seem keen to answer, but Suni knew exactly what food she wanted as a welcome back – and it’s a classic.
She said: ‘My father was a vegetarian, so I had a good grilled cheese sandwich when I got home. That reminded me of him.’
The comfort food is ‘just like home for me,’ she added.
Asked about the first thing she wanted to do after spending nine months in space – having planned for eight days – she said: ‘I wanted to hug my husband and hug my dogs. I’ll say in that order, but maybe not… No, i’m just joking.’
Butch added that he ‘certainly’ wanted to embrace his family again, but also was keen to ‘just to say thank you to a nation that got involved in all of this. It makes it special, not just for us, but I think for our nation as a whole, so thank you.’
The two said they were somewhat surprised by the levels of media attention, and were aware of the narrative that they were ‘stuck and marooned’ on the International Space Station after the Boeing Starliner they travelled there in malfunctioned.
What would you go for as a first meal?
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I’d have a grilled cheese too
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A nice big slice of chocolate gateau
They said that although it was technically true in some respects that they had got stuck there, they never felt lost, abandoned or in need of rescue, had prepared for all eventualities and just got on with the job.
Butch said he took some of the responsibility for the bungled test flight: ‘I’ll start and point the finger and I’ll blame me. I could have asked some questions and the answers to those questions could have turned the tide.’
But both astronauts said they would strap into Starliner again and would ‘fix it’ and ‘make it work’.
The retired navy captains ended up spending 286 days in space when they blasted off on Boeing’s first astronaut flight on June 5, which is 278 days more than planned.
Why does food taste bad in space?
Being in space has a significant affect on astronauts’ bodies, with the microgravity changing how they function.
Fluids shift towards the head, putting pressure on their eyes and giving them puffy faces and a blocked nose, which can affect the ability to taste as it is linked to smell.
They can even get ‘baby feet’ from the lack of walking around, meaning putting on shoes and going to the shops can even be agonising without the thick skin that should be there.
A study last year was the first to look at why astronauts often report that food tastes bland, and struggle to meet their daily nutrient requirements.
It found that some aromas smelled differently in space and on Earth, simulating the ISS environment with virtual reality goggles.
Mental effects of isolation and being in the same confined surroudings for so long could also have an experience on taste, it said.
That is all added to the fact that the food isn’t exactly gourmet to begin with.
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