Astronauts eat a variety of foods in space, including freeze-dried food, powdered beverages, and thermostabilized or irradiated canned or pouch food. The food is prepared and packaged at the Space Food Systems Laboratory at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, and is selected by astronauts for their mission. Astronauts can also eat normal pantry goods in their natural form such as nuts, granola bars, candies, cookies, and more, repackaged at the Space Food Systems Laboratory.
To prevent their food from floating away at mealtime, packaging has Velcro patches so it can be attached to a surface. Astronauts eat three meals a day (plus periodic snacks), just as they do on Earth, and meals are organized by the order in which astronauts are going to eat them and stored in locker trays held by a net so they wont float away. Astronauts add water to freeze-dried foods and dehydrated drinks from a rehydration station that dispenses both hot and cold water. Astronauts may also use condiments such as ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise packets to add flavor, but these spices have to be in a liquid form, or the grains would just float away.
Nutritionists plan astronaut meals to make sure they get all the nutrients and vitamins they need, but some astronauts experience digestive problems after they’ve been in space for a long time. Astronauts mainly drink water while in space, but flavored drinks are also available, and tea and coffee are also consumed. Hot sauce is a popular condiment among astronauts, as their taste buds dont work as effectively in space, and its not uncommon for astronauts to find themselves enjoying cuisines in space that they couldnt eat at home, and vice versa.
