Pizza, delicacy of the gods. Many are lucky to devour a good slice, others like the astronauts not. Here we will explain why astronomers cannot eat this delicacy in space.
A report published on the website of Slash Gear Remember when, in 2001, Pizza Hut sent some six-inch salami cheesecakes to the International Space Station (ISS), but it was a monumental task and took well over 30 minutes to arrive, the average of a delivery.
However, astronauts cannot eat pizza in space. Weightlessness combined with the safety risk of crumbs drifting into eyes, vents or expensive electronics are factors they take into account..
The testimony of Vickie Kloeris, former ISS food systems manager at NASA Johnson Space Center, is enough to understand the feeling of eating pizza in space: “The crust is always soggy or chewy and doesn’t meet anyone’s expectations”.
The magic of the SMRC
In 2013, NASA awarded a first round of funding to a small company in Austin, Texas to develop a 3D printer for food: the Systems and Materials Research Corporation (SMRC). The company of the same name wanted to build a machine that could make food from scratch, on demand.
The SMRC device could produce food by mixing powdered macronutrients. that is, protein and starch, with oil or water on the print head. It would be combined with micronutrients, flavors and odors and then sprayed like an inkjet printer.
One of his first recipes was to print pizzas in layers, starting with the dough, then the sauce, and finally the toppings. NASA never provided a second round of funding.
In 2017, NASA sent the Expedition 53 crew a host of pizza toppings, including pre-made boboli dough. Images of how the astronauts took off their suits to put on aprons were left for posterity.
The space pizza recipe is limited to pasta and sauces that can be spread on uncooked pre-made dough, and the ingredients must be able to adhere to the sauces that have been applied. Plus, it takes a lot of teamwork to keep everything anchored with strips of duct tape throughout the prep work. Of course, nothing crunchy.
