Short Wave

One Small Step For Cookie Baking

Nov 27, 2019
Ever wondered what Thanksgiving is like in microgravity? Astronauts onboard the ISS face unique challenges, including a groundbreaking zero-gravity oven aimed at baking cookies in space. Discover how astronaut food has evolved from bland rations to a varied menu of over 200 items thanks to food technology. Cookies also play a crucial role in boosting morale and psychological well-being during missions. Tune in for heartwarming stories and innovations that make space cooking truly cosmic!
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ANECDOTE

Early Space Food

  • Early astronauts ate unappetizing food like pureed meat from tubes.
  • The first person in space, Yuri Gagarin, ate pureed meat and chocolate sauce from a tube in 1961.
INSIGHT

Food Packaging Improvements

  • Food quality for astronauts improved with better packaging in the late 1960s.
  • Astronauts eat from various containers, each with different food groups like desserts or fruits.
INSIGHT

Baking with Convection

  • A normal oven uses convection, where gravity makes hot air rise and cool air fall.
  • This heat distribution helps bake cookies evenly on Earth.
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