A Taste of Space / Part Three of Five
Our salute to America's space program and its astronauts continues with a discussion about what it's like to eat in space. You know, it's much different than sitting down for a meal at home here on Earth.
Lieutenant Colonel Sam Gemar joined me to tell us more. He's an astronaut who's flown several Discovery and Columbia shuttle missions.
I asked Lt. Colonel Gemar what the experience of eating is like in outer space and he said, "As you've guessed, it is a lot different than it is here at home. One of the most important utensils we have for eating in space is scissors. That may seem a bit strange, but if you think about it, here on Earth our food is presented to us on plates and in glasses on a table, but in space it's presented to us in pouches. So we use scissors to cut the top of the pouches off, and then we'll use a spoon to eat out of the pouch. And as long as the food is a little bit tacky, it will stick to a spoon or, if you can stab it with a fork, that's a good food. Peas, for example, would not be a good space food – they'd be everywhere! And most of the pouches have Velcro that we use to attach them to the food trays. You know, playing with your food is hard to avoid in space. When we want to pass the peaches, or a spoon or scissors, to another crew member, we'll just float them across the mid-deck. And remember, Mom's not there to criticize us for playing with our food!"
It sounds like every meal is truly an out-of-this-world experience! I want to thank Lt. Colonel Gemar for sharing those experiences with us. And don't miss another taste tomorrow, right here at the Kennedy Space Center. It's a launch tradition that's chock-full of more...
