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Author
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Topic: LA Times: Collecting Space Food (collectSPACE)
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arjuna
unregistered
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posted 02-09-2012 04:56 AM
 
Congrats to Robert, whose 5:30 minute video interview with the LA Times explaining the history of space food via his impressive collection is here.I'd forgotten about the TopChef space short ribs. I think NASA should release it as a commercial product for gourmet campers. |
GACspaceguy
Member Posts: 2474
From: Guyton, GA
Registered: Jan 2006
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posted 02-09-2012 05:17 AM
 
Great collection and super interview! |
space1
Member Posts: 853
From: Danville, Ohio
Registered: Dec 2002
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posted 02-09-2012 07:38 AM
Outstanding! Great scope across the programs.I thought Apollo meals were wrapped in silver packages, and Gemini meals in clear packages (ref Smithsonian NASM displays in the Apollo gallery showing silver-wrapped Apollo 11 meals, and clear plastic-wrapped Gemini meals). |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 02-09-2012 10:29 AM
Thanks! That actually came out better than I expected — it was somewhat of an impromptu request by the LA Times at the end of an interview about moon rocks. quote:
Originally posted by space1:
I thought Apollo meals were wrapped in silver packages, and Gemini meals in clear packages...
Food packaging continued to evolve during the Apollo program (for example, the spoon bowl was introduced on Apollo 10) so it may have been that the meal packaging went from opaque to transparent at some point. NASA's own imagery of an Apollo meal matches the one I show in the video.Unfortunately, NASA's food records leave something to be desired. According to the space agency, they didn't retain serial number records, for example, because after the mission was over, any uneaten food was viewed as refuse. |
SpaceAholic
Member Posts: 4437
From: Sierra Vista, Arizona
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 02-09-2012 11:17 AM
Four ply transparent laminate (polyethylene/mylar/aclar/polyethylene) was used for primary packaging from Apollo 7 onwards for the rehydrate-able and bite sized foods. There was an additional non-transparent foil-plastic overwrap used to bundle the individual food items into aggregated meals. |
David Carey
Member Posts: 782
From:
Registered: Mar 2009
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posted 02-09-2012 01:11 PM
Nice - I was getting hungry for a moment but it passed.Perhaps something that belongs under Opinions and Advice, but your piece makes me wonder about preserving the plastic wrappers. I have an A13 flown cocoa pouch and while it's double sealed behind UV glass and the plastic is still fairly pliable, I always wondered about steps to prevent embrittlement and cracking. Anything other than controlled temperatures and light degradation to be concerned with on these items? |
SpaceAholic
Member Posts: 4437
From: Sierra Vista, Arizona
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 02-09-2012 02:35 PM
Three different plastics encasing organic material that will eventually decompose even if protected from UV exposure - me thinks only a skilled chemist can run through the permutations of possibilities |
SkyMan1958
Member Posts: 867
From: CA.
Registered: Jan 2011
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posted 02-09-2012 08:43 PM
Great stuff Robert! Congratulations on such a nice breadth (both historically and of food types) of items. |
Jay Chladek
Member Posts: 2272
From: Bellevue, NE, USA
Registered: Aug 2007
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posted 02-10-2012 05:51 AM
That was indeed very well done. I see you have no examples of the Skylab cans in the collection (or the Russian "appetizing appetizer" either). But considering those cans were wet packs, I suppose storage might be a little more difficult than the dehydrated stuff.One you should add to the collection is the infamous "fiesta chicken". Or as the Russians call it "party chicken" (as in "what is a party chicken?") even if Mike Kelly wasn't too keen for it (he said it was "no party"). Great, now I am starting to get cravings for NASA's shrimp cocktail again (I tried some in 2009). I could see (or rather taste) why that stuff was considered the best tasting among the astronauts.  JSC's food lab does some good work in my oponion. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42981
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 02-10-2012 08:15 AM
quote:
Originally posted by Jay Chladek:
I see you have no examples of the Skylab cans in the collection (or the Russian "appetizing appetizer" either).
I do have a couple of empty Skylab food cans and a sealed Russian can but as neither is particularly visual — they are cans, after all — they sit to the back of the shelf.But what I really would like to find someday is a complete meal packaged as they fly now on Soyuz. |
garyd2831
Member Posts: 640
From: Syracuse, New York, USA
Registered: Oct 2009
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posted 02-10-2012 08:32 AM
Very nice presentation and collection of space readied food you have there Robert. |
MarylandSpace
Member Posts: 1336
From:
Registered: Aug 2002
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posted 02-10-2012 01:36 PM
I thoroughly enjoyed the video and encourage all collectSPACE readers to view it. |
fredtrav
Member Posts: 1673
From: Birmingham AL
Registered: Aug 2010
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posted 02-10-2012 01:47 PM
Nice video. I think for lunch I will have a bullion cube and some croutons. |
MikeSpace
unregistered
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posted 02-10-2012 05:49 PM
Now I'm starving!Great job! |
Joel Katzowitz
Member Posts: 808
From: Marietta GA USA
Registered: Dec 1999
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posted 02-11-2012 09:06 AM
What a nice segue into my lunch plans for today: Gilbert Huey, Jimmy Brown, Gary Milgrom and I are meeting today at Fox Brothers, our favorite Atlanta BBQ joint. |
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