Boy playing to be an astronaut with a space helmet and silver suit on metallic background ()

Astronauts have to eat special foods when they are in space. A big stove or refrigerator will not fit in the space station. Astronaut food is made ahead of time on Earth. It must stay edible for the entire time in space. It must also be nutritious. Astronauts need to be healthy in space.

There is no gravity in space. Astronauts have to eat one thing at a time. Drinks have to be in powder form. Once in space, an astronaut adds water to the drink mix so it doesn’t get everywhere. They don’t want their meals floating around.

In Texas, there are two places for researching and creating food for space. One is The Space Food Systems Laboratory at the Johnson Space Center. The other is the Space Food Research Facility. They make a lot of freeze-dried and heat-stabilized foods and powder beverages.

The laboratory doesn’t just make healthy food. They also make candy and cookies. So, the astronauts have tasty treats with their healthy meals.

NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, says that the meals made for the astronauts have to be edible for FIVE years to be able to go into space.

Freeze-Dry:To preserve something using very fast freezing. It also takes out the water.

Heat-Stabilized:To preserve something so it can’t go bad. No matter what the temperature is.

Nutritious: Food that has proteins, vitamins and good nutrients that keep you healthy.

Edible: Okay to eat.

MREs are like the meals that astronauts use in space. As a military kid, you might know MREs. If not, an MRE is a “Meal-Ready-to-Eat.” These meals are used by the military. Service members need food when they are on missions and training outside in harsh places. An MRE is edible for three to five years! (Just like astronaut food). But service members don’t have to worry about their food floating away.