NASA & CSA-ASC - Deep Space Food Challenge logo.
May 1, 2021
Imagine eating the same meals every day for weeks, maybe months. Even the most appetizing dishes may start to lose their appeal.
Image above: Snacks float freely aboard the International Space Station. Image Credit: NASA.
In space, menu fatigue can have serious consequences. Lost appetites could result in astronauts not eating enough food, which may lead to body mass loss, nutritional deficiencies, and other health issues.
Because the effects of menu fatigue could likely worsen as mission durations increase, NASA turns to researchers like Dr. Grace Douglas, lead scientist for the Advanced Food Technology project at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Douglas heads a study that probes how eating the same menu items changes the appeal of those foods during long-duration spaceflight.
“This is the first time we are systematically collecting food acceptability data in real-time throughout the spaceflight mission, which will provide insights into the use of the system, onset of menu fatigue, and strategies for exploration food system design,” Douglas explained.
For the investigation, selected astronauts aboard the International Space Station take a weekly survey in which they rate the acceptability of the food and beverage items consumed during mealtimes. The overall acceptability of food is determined by several considerations, including appearance, flavor, texture, aroma, and other factors. Douglas and her team seek to analyze the responses of at least 13 astronauts for the study.
Patterns found and insight gained from completed questionnaires will help NASA build strategies to improve the design of current and future space food systems for multi-year missions. On Earth, the results of the study could help improve the nutritional intake of the elderly in residential homes and patients in hospitals.
Vacuum Packed Space Food: It’s What’s For Dinner. Image Credit: NASA
“Collection is ongoing,” Douglas said. “Initial results support that personal preference is important, but variety in general is key.”
Curbing menu fatigue is one of many challenges tied to designing food systems for longer and farther spaceflight missions. To help, NASA’s Deep Space Food Challenge calls on innovators to generate viable ideas that can provide safe, nutritious, and delicious food to astronauts headed to the Moon and Mars.
NASA's Human Research Program, or HRP, is dedicated to discovering the best methods and technologies to support safe, productive human space travel. HRP enables space exploration by reducing the risks to astronaut health and performance using ground research facilities, the International Space Station and analog environments. This leads to the development and delivery of an exploration biomedical program focused on several goals: informing human health, performance, and habitability standards; developing countermeasures and risk-mitigation solutions; and advancing habitability and medical-support technologies. HRP supports innovative, scientific human research by funding more than 300 research grants to respected universities, hospitals and NASA centers to over 200 researchers in more than 30 states.
Related links:
Douglas study: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7562
Deep Space Food Challenge: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/deep-space-food-challenge
Human Research Program (HRP): https://www.nasa.gov/hrp/
Space Station Research and Technology: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/overview.html
International Space Station (ISS): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html
Images (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/Kelli Mars/Human Research Program/Nathan Cranford/Jennifer L. Turner.
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