Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, two NASA astronauts, are eating upscale meals like pizza and shrimp cocktails as part of a diet adapted to space travel. However, space scientists are keeping a careful eye on their diet plan because fresh food sources are running low. Read on to learn more about how these two astronauts are attempting to deal with this new food dilemma.
From Pizza To Shrimp Cocktails: A New Menu For NASA Astronauts In Space
Instead of the typical freeze-dried meals of previous space missions, astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are savouring a varied menu that includes roast chicken, powdered milk, morning cereal, and prawn cocktails. Experts keeping an eye on the project say the Starliner mission is not only about fine meals, as reported by Livemint.
Although the astronauts have enough food for their journey, they are short on fresh produce because they have to wait three months for a fresh supply to arrive at the orbiting station. A specialist said that while there is initially fresh fruit, it eventually vanishes over the course of three months, and fruits and vegetables are either freeze-dried or packaged, as reported by The New York Post.
Food Challenges Faced By Sunita Williams & Butch Wilmore
Because there is a limited supply of fresh vegetables, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams rely on freeze-dried choices for their daily vitamins. According to NASA, each astronaut eats 1.7 kg of food each day, which is customised to meet their individual nutritional requirements, as reported by Livemint.
On the International Space Station (ISS), astronauts can’t enjoy the pleasure of crisp vegetables or fresh salads because the food they receive from Earth is prepared carefully so that when it reaches the ISS, only reheating is required.
Recent pictures of Sunita Williams raised questions about her diet and health, with some people thinking that she may be losing weight dangerously. In a video message, Williams refuted these allegations, stating that she was in good condition. Further, Sunita Williams added that her weight is actually the same. She noted that her thighs and buttocks have also somewhat expanded during her time in space, and that the fluid shift in microgravity makes the head appear slightly larger, as reported by Livemint.
Although the ISS’s food technology has advanced, it is still logistically difficult to sustain the astronauts’ varied diets. Though their diet is far from lush greens and fresh fruit, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore will have enough calories to last them until new supplies arrive.
Cover Image Credit: Instagram/@iss