Space food

High school (ages 12+)
Food & Cooking

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/space-food

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the primary preservation method?Freeze-drying, reducing weight by up to 90% and significantly extending shelf life
2. What is the historical food concept (1963)?A formula diet designed for maximum nutritional efficiency
3. What is space food and why do astronauts need it?Space food is specially made for zero‑gravity, giving astronauts all the vitamins and energy they need to stay healthy and think clearly on long missions.
4. How do astronauts eat food in space without it floating away?Food is freeze‑dried, packed in special pouches or tubes, and often has one‑way valves so water can be added but crumbs or liquids can’t drift around.

Sublimation: The process where a solid turns directly into a gas without passing through the liquid phase, used in freeze-drying.
Thermostabilization: A food preservation technique involving heat treatment in sealed containers to achieve commercial sterility.
Nutritional Efficacy: The ability of food to provide the necessary nutrients for health and bodily functions.