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'Sugar Biscuit' space food
Object No. 97/2/14-16
Space food (1 of 46), 'Sugar Biscuit', organic material / metal / plastic / paper, designed and made by Russian Academy of Sciences, USSR (Russia), c. 1984
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Summary
Physical Description
Air sealed plastic packet containing eight rectangular brown biscuits, four on each side. Red and white paper label adhered to front with text in Cyrillic script 'Pechenye / 'Sakharnoye' ' translates to 'Sugar Biscuit'. White paper label adhered to rear with text in Cyrillic 'B pishchu ne prigoden' translates to 'Not for consumption' .
DIMENSIONS
Height
14 mm
Width
142 mm
Depth
55 mm
PRODUCTION
Notes
Soviet/ Russian space food was and is developed by nutritionists and doctors at the Institute for Biomedical Problems, one of the space research institutes under the control of the Soviet/Russian Academy of Sciences. The first food was eaten in space on the Vostok-2 mission 6 August, 1961. Since that time, research and experimentation has gradually improved the quality, taste and nutritional value of Soviet/ Russian space food. Space food is specifically developed to be eaten in the microgravity environment in orbit: it is compact, for easy storage, treated to prevent spoilage in an unrefrigerated environment, and held in special containers designed to reduce the possibility of floating crumbs, which can be a hazard to electrical circuits and equipment. Most space food is designed to be rehydrated before eating. Cosmonaut and astronaut meals are specially fortified with the vitamins and minerals that the body loses in weightlessness and are planned to provide a regular calorie intake each day. Space food is designed to be low-residue, to reduce bowel movement and flatulence. The samples of original space foods were manufactured in the food processing facilities associated with the Institue of Biomedical Problems.
HISTORY
Notes
Space food has been consumed on every Soviet/Russian space flight since Vostok-2 in 1961. Cosmonauts on orbital missions select daily 4-meal menus from the available choices (over 100 different selections), balanced to ensure that they receive adequate calorie and vitamin intake. Space stations are launched with a supply of space foods stored on board, with additional supplies of processed space foods and fresh food being ferried up by Soyuz spacecraft or Progress automated supply vessels. The US Space Shuttle has also been used to resupply the Mir space station. Cosmonauts on board the space stations construct their own 4 meal per day menus from the available selections of fresh and processed space foods. Originally owned by the USSR Academy of Sciences. lent to the museum in 1987 as part of L2046. This entire collection was purchased by the museum in 1996.
SOURCE
Acquisition Date
20 January 1997
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