BellaOnline Forums Education Astronomy Thanksgiving - What would you eat in space?

My Thanksgiving greetings to American readers around the world. And to everyone who celebrates the holiday - or doesn't celebrate it - I hope you have something to be thankful for.

But what might the festive foods be on the International Space Station? Here is an account of some the ways space food has changed.

Thanksgiving in Space
Many foods are associated with a traditional American Thanksgiving dinner. But what do you suppose would be on the menu for Thanksgiving in space? Would you have to squeeze turkey paste out of a tube and get gelatin-covered dessert cubes? No. Food has improved since the early days of space flight.

Here is a Thanksgiving message from astronauts on the International Space Station.

Thanksgiving message from the ISS

They tell us what they'll be having for Thanksgiving dinner. I was a bit surprised about the baked beans! If you've read my article, you'll probably see why.

Here's an interesting video with an interview and demonstrations of How food preparation works in space.

Having read what they used to feed the early astronauts and how it was developed (by veterinarians!), I could see that it's much better now. But I did laugh when they said that since the astronauts could use ordinary utensils to eat straight from the food pouches, it was like eating at home. Hmmm. Do *you* use food pouches at home?

Here's a video that isn't specifically about a Thanksgiving meal, but it is about eating in space.

It features Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, who was on the International Space Station, mythbusters Jamie and Adam, and a celebrity chef. Testing gourmet space food is an interesting and amusing video and gives an insight into what it's like to eat in microgravity. Judging by the last scene in the video, it can be a lot of fun.

WARNING: Don't try this at home!

I know they've improved the quality of food for astronauts, but you definitely wouldn't pile on the pounds eating an astronaut's Thanksgiving dinner. (That would be the positive side!) It's actually a concern that the astronauts not only get balanced nutrition, but that they get enough calories. Remember they have to spend a lot of time exercising in order to look after their muscles and bones.