 Food. Its preparation, storage, and use in space travel has changed along with advances in space flight technology. Today, astronauts prepare and eat food much the same way we do here on Earth. The biggest difference is that their food is packaged so it can be eaten at zero gravity. Shuttle astronaut Joe Allen wrote about life aboard the shuttle, the astronauts who now enter space wear sports shirts and slacks during their days in orbit. They eat shrimp cocktail and barbecued beef and sleep in private bunks. The Spartan era of space travel has ended. The Spartan era Allen refers to began with the manned flights of the Mercury program. The first food for American space travel was carried aboard John Glenn's historic five-hour flight in 1962. Food for the Mercury flights had to be easy to prepare and eat by the astronaut dressed in a restrictive pressure suit and strapped inside the capsule. Food was packaged in tubes, freeze-dried pouches, and bite-sized cubes, and was not very appetizing. The Gemini missions, beginning in 1965, brought an improved food concept. Food tubes were replaced by simple lightweight plastic containers. Astronauts could choose from an expanded menu. Chunks of food were coated with gelatin to reduce crumbling and zero gravity, and rehydratable food was placed in containers which were easier to inject with water. The three-man crews of the Apollo era enjoyed greater menu selections and for the first time made use of hot water. Astronauts could now enjoy hot food and drinks. Foiled pouches for meats and sauces and spoon bowl packages for rehydratables were also introduced. In 1973, Skylab became our major space effort. The orbiting laboratory housed three astronauts for up to three months. The food system was luxurious, even by today's standards. The separate dining area boasted a table complete with food-warming trays for all three astronauts to enjoy dining together. The dietitian for technology incorporated in Houston, Texas, Connie Stadler. When Skylab flew, the whole entire food system was in cans. And we had frozen food at that time because there was a lot of storage space on Skylab. They were going to be up there for such a long period of time that they felt the food system was very important. And so during that time, they had three frozen foods allotted to them every two-day period. And they could have ice cream or steaks or roast beef we had at that time. Now there's no refrigeration and no freezer, so we're back to the rehydratable food system, but the packages are different. In 1975, international efforts in space resulted in the Apollo Soyuz mission. The American and Russian ships docked in Earth orbit. Cosmonauts and astronauts shared space foods, including borscht, served in a tube. At present, astronauts on the space shuttle use a new flexible food system complete with galley. The galley, an upright modular unit located on the mid-deck, serves as a food processing facility. It houses a low-temperature oven, a hot and cold water dispenser, a pantry, and a personal hygiene station. A crew of two to seven people can be served for up to one month. Over 70 food items and 20 beverages are featured in the six-day rotational space shuttle menu. Drinks and freeze-dried meal selections are packaged in polyethylene dishes and can be hydrated with pre-selected amounts of hot or cold water. Canned foods, foods in flexible pouches, and fresh fruits and vegetables are also available. All food has to pass strict shelf-life standards, as well as show minimum microbial counts. Much of the food used aboard the shuttle is bought commercially and then repackaged and serialized at Technology Incorporated, Houston, Texas. On occasion, food is processed in-house, like this batch of cauliflower, which will be freeze-dried. This processing is done only if commercial product quality is below standard or not available. Fresh foods are packed within 24 hours of lift-off. Food for space. As missions become longer, the challenge of the next decade will be to provide a food system which will support the needs of a permanently manned space station.