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  Identifying flown from unflown space food

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Author Topic:   Identifying flown from unflown space food
proxima1
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Posts: 8
From: San Jose, CA
Registered: May 2015

posted 07-09-2015 01:43 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for proxima1   Click Here to Email proxima1     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
From the "early days" of the auctions I picked up an Apollo food packet that was stated to have flown on Apollo 8. Provenance was shaky back then, so I am wondering if flown food has any sort of markers different than that of training or sample food packets. It does have a blue swatch of velcro, which would have been for Anders if it flew.

Robert Pearlman
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Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 07-09-2015 01:50 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
While the lack of colored velcro or other labels can possibly indicate training or unflown food, I am unaware of any marking or feature that can positively identify a package as flown.

Unfortunately, given that the food was considered expendable, serial no. records were discarded after every mission.

rgarner
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From: Shepperton, United Kingdom
Registered: Mar 2012

posted 08-15-2015 11:01 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for rgarner   Click Here to Email rgarner     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Is there a reference guide to finding out if food packets were actually flown? I have wondered this for some time. I'm looking at a Gemini Project food packet which reads "Series No. FD 233".

Any clues?

Editor's note: Threads merged.

Robert Pearlman
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From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 08-15-2015 11:02 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
To my knowledge (as noted earlier), the serial no. records for space food were not retained past their missions.

rgarner
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From: Shepperton, United Kingdom
Registered: Mar 2012

posted 08-15-2015 11:03 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for rgarner   Click Here to Email rgarner     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Troublesome indeed, thanks Robert.

The one I am looking at has a small piece of white velcro attached.

I'm still looking for a Mercury, Gemini and Apollo flown food pack!

chet
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Posts: 1506
From: Beverly Hills, Calif.
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 08-18-2015 01:03 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for chet   Click Here to Email chet     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Robert, how do you know the serial numbers were discarded? And was this the policy for most/all equipment, or just food packets?

Robert Pearlman
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From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 08-18-2015 01:32 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The fate of the food records is based on discussions with those who worked in the food lab and subsequent (futile) searches through the various NASA history archives.

It seems to have been a practice limited to the food. And that makes sense, as once the mission was over, there was no operational need to continue to track the food items.

SkyMan1958
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posted 08-18-2015 02:10 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for SkyMan1958   Click Here to Email SkyMan1958     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
In the Apollo 12 Flight Plan there are three tabs/pages at the end of the plan. It seems reasonable that each of the Apollo Flight Plans would have something comparable.

Each tab/page is the "Food Log" for one of the crew members. Each log page has a list of meals for each day, with the contents of each meal. Those parts of the meal that the astronaut ate they put a checkmark next to. One would assume that any part of a meal that did NOT have a checkmark next to it (Conrad wrote "No") would potentially be available as a flown food item.

For example on Day 3, Meal C (e.g. dinner), Conrad potentially could have had; salmon salad, chicken stew, butterscotch pudding, peaches and grapefruit drink. There is a checkmark next to each of the items, except for peaches, which has a "No" written next to it. One would assume that theoretically these peaches would have been available for sale as a flown item some years later when Conrad started to sell things off.

Robert Pearlman
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From: Houston, TX
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posted 08-18-2015 03:56 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Correct me if I am wrong though, the Flight Plans only identify food by type, not by serial number.

SkyMan1958
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posted 08-18-2015 04:57 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for SkyMan1958   Click Here to Email SkyMan1958     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
You are correct Robert, the food is only identified by type, not serial number.

These logs would at least be a first filter for potentially flown food, e.g. if the food type in question is not in the log, or if all the ones in the log are shown to have been eaten, then you would know if that food is offered for sale as flown, that it would be incorrect.

Hart Sastrowardoyo
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From: Toms River, NJ
Registered: Aug 2000

posted 08-18-2015 05:03 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Hart Sastrowardoyo   Click Here to Email Hart Sastrowardoyo     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:
And that makes sense, as once the mission was over, there was no operational need to continue to track the food items.
The food also has a limited "shelf life," no? Where past a certain date it couldn't be consumed? I would think the records were discarded because also the expectation would be the food would also be discarded, and not reflown on a future flight.

Robert Pearlman
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Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 08-18-2015 05:09 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
To my knowledge (and I may be mistaken), the food was prepared on a mission by mission basis, for use on a specific mission.

Guswastheman
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Posts: 85
From: Gresham, OR
Registered: Apr 2011

posted 08-03-2018 03:35 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Guswastheman   Click Here to Email Guswastheman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Looking to see if there is any information on Apollo flown food packages. Is there a way to confirm that a particular food package was flown and if so, which mission?

All help greatly appreciated.

Editor's note: Threads merged.

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