On the menu in orbit

Uploaded on May 16, 2019

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On the menu in orbit

2019-05-16 - What do astronauts eat in space? There is a standard menu aboard the International Space Station, but crewmembers can also add variety by requesting some of their favourite meals or foods that represent their culture.

Here is a glimpse of what is on the menu for CSA astronaut David Saint-Jacques. (Credits: Canadian Space Agency, NASA)

David Saint-Jacques: Welcome to the Space Station, welcome to our kitchen! What are we eating today? Well, there’s a standard menu that kind of recycles itself about every two weeks. It’s very healthy and very good, but it’s nice to have some variety, so every astronaut has personalized menus as well. So, about every month and a half or so, I can open one of these boxes. They’ve been sent by automated cargo vehicle. We catch them with Canadarm2 out of the Cupola, and it contains food that I have chosen myself. So, it’s good for variety. For example, we have some Canadian smoked salmon, which is always a great treat for my Russian colleagues; they love it. There’s some… a classic, Canadian maple leaf cookies. Of course! Can’t leave Earth without them. Other kinds of little Canadian snacks, like these. But maybe to me… most precious, these packets of chili. Not just any chili, this is our family recipe. These have been made by my wife Véronique, so as you can imagine it’s quite a special treat to have home cooking here in space. It’s quite special when I open one of those up. Well, that’s how we feed ourselves on the Space Station.

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