Space Jam! An Astronaut Lunch
Mission description
In this activity, participants prepare their lunch like an astronaut on the International Space Station (ISS). Create a lunch with foods similar to those on the ISS such as dehydrated fruits and vegetables, tortillas, fish pâté, tuna, beans, and minute rice.
Timeline
| Breakdown | Duration |
|---|---|
|
Set-up
|
5-10 minutes |
| Explanation of the activity | 5 minutes |
| Have participants design their space lunch | 10-15 minutes |
| If participants want dehydrated vegetables, give them the option of rehydrating them. If they want to rehydrate them, they can put the vegetables in the bowl and the teacher can pour hot water on them. Allow vegetables to rehydrate for a minimum of 1 minute. | variable |
| Participants can eat and chat while watching the space food videos | 30 minutes |
| Clean-up | 10 minutes |
| Total | 60-70 minutes |
Goal
To teach participants about eating in space while exposing them to a variety of food and creative ways to prepare it.
Objective
By the end of the activity, participants will be able to:
- Explain how a meal can be assembled in space
Mission preparation
Materials
- Allergen declaration form
-
Food items for lunch
- Whole grain tortilla pack
- Black beans
- Minute rice
- Dehydrated vegetables such as tomatoes or mushrooms (packaged without oil or added salt)
- Hummus or salsa
- Tuna
- Can opener
- Spoons/forks to use for beans, rice, vegetables, hummus or salsa, tuna
- Kettle and microwave access
- Small bowls for participants to rehydrate vegetables (optional)
- Plates (encourage participants to bring a plate from home)
A few days before the activity
- Print allergen declaration form and have participants and parents fill it out & sign it.
Set-up
- Pre-load or download some of the space food videos below
- Have a clean table or workstation for the food, plates, utensils, serving spoons, and napkins
- Cook minute rice in microwave
-
Place foods on table and open packages
- Note: Keep hummus, vegetables, beans, and salsa on opposite side of the table from the tuna with separate spoons to prevent cross-contamination.
Activity
Participants will have a fun "space lunch" where they will use food items similar to those commonly found on the ISS to create a meal.
Example of cost breakdown (before tax)Footnote 1
| Item | Each | For 30 participants |
|---|---|---|
| Chunk light tuna in water 170 g | $1.17 | $3.51 (3 cans) |
| Whole wheat tortillas 7" (10 tortillas) | $2.97 | $8.91 (3 packs) |
| No salt added black beans | $0.88 | $2.64 (3 cans) |
| Minute Rice premium instant long grain white rice, 700 g | $3.47 | $3.47 |
| Sun dried tomatoes, 85 g | $2.47 | $2.47 |
| Traditional hummus, 454 g | $4.97 | $4.97 |
| Cutlery combo | $2.88 | $2.88 |
| Paper napkins | $1.97 | $1.97 |
| Total | $20.78 | $30.82 |
Possible meal combinations
-
Vegetarian bean burrito
- 1 tortilla
- 1 tbsp. hummus
- 3 spoonfuls of beans
- 2 spoonfuls of rice
- 2 dehydrated vegetablesFootnote 2
Instructions
- Put tortilla on plate.
- Spread 2 tbsp. hummus onto tortilla.
- Spoon the beans and rice onto tortilla.
- Place 2 dehydrated tomatoes onto tortilla.
- Carefully roll the burrito.
- Eat & enjoy!
-
Tuna burrito
- 1 tortilla
- 1 tbsp. hummus or salsa
- 2 tbsp. tuna
- 2 spoonfuls of rice
- rehydrated vegetables
Instructions
- Put tortilla on plate.
- Spread hummus or salsa onto tortilla.
- Spread tuna onto tortilla.
- Spoon rice onto tortilla.
- Rehydrate some vegetables and then place on tortilla.
- Carefully roll the burrito.
- Eat & enjoy!