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At least 343 records · Page 19
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1964

Food in flight.

Food for astronauts during space flights, noting problems and peculiar aspects of eating and drinking in space environment

MANNED SPACE FLIGHT↗
NASA NTRS1985

Packaging for Food Service

Most of the key areas of concern in packaging the three principle food forms for the space station were covered. It can be generally concluded that there are no significant voids in packaging materials availability or in current packaging technology. However, it must also be concluded that the process by which packaging decisions are made for the space station feeding program will be very synergistic. Packaging selection will depend heavily on the preparation mechanics, the preferred presentation and the achievable disposal systems. It will be important that packaging be considered as an integral part of each decision as these systems are developed.

Stilwell, E. J.↗
NASA NTRS1996

STS-79 Mission Highlight Presentation

The flight crew of STS-79, Cmdr. William F. Readdy, Pilot Terrence W. Wilcutt, Mission Specialists, Thomas D. Akers, Shannon Lucid, Jay Apt, and Carl E. Walz can be seen performing pre-launch activities such as eating the traditional breakfast, crew suit-up, and the ride out to the launch pad. Also, included are various panoramic views of the shuttle on the pad. The crew can be seen being readied in the 'white room' for their mission. After the closing of the hatch and arm retraction, launch activities are shown including countdown, engine ignition, launch, and the separation of the Solid Rocket Boosters. STS-79 is the second Shuttle-Mir mission to carry a SPACEHAB module on board, and the first to carry a double module. The forward portion of the double module will house experiments conducted by the crew before, during and after Atlantis is docked to the Russian space station. The aft portion of the double module primarily houses the logistics equipment to be transferred to the Russian space station. Logistics include food, clothing, experiment supplies, and spare equipment for Mir.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1976

Packaged Food

After studies found that many elderly persons don't eat adequately because they can't afford to, they have limited mobility, or they just don't bother, Innovated Foods, Inc. and JSC developed shelf-stable foods processed and packaged for home preparation with minimum effort. Various food-processing techniques and delivery systems are under study and freeze dried foods originally used for space flight are being marketed. (See 77N76140)

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2001

Fertilization of sea urchin eggs and sperm motility are negatively impacted under low hypergravitational forces significant to space flight

Sperm and other flagellates swim faster in microgravity (microG) than in 1 G, raising the question of whether fertilization is altered under conditions of space travel. Such alterations have implications for reproduction of plant and animal food and for long-term space habitation by man. We previously demonstrated that microG accelerates protein phosphorylation during initiation of sperm motility but delays the sperm response to the egg chemotactic factor, speract. Thus sperm are sensitive to changes in gravitational force. New experiments using the NiZeMi centrifugal microscope examined whether low hypergravity (hyperG) causes effects opposite to microG on sperm motility, signal transduction, and fertilization. Sperm % motility and straight-line velocity were significantly inhibited by as little as 1.3 G. The phosphorylation states of FP130, an axonemal phosphoprotein, and FP160, a cAMP-dependent salt-extractable flagellar protein, both coupled to motility activation, showed a more rapid decline in hyperG. Most critically, hyperG caused an approximately 50% reduction in both the rate of sperm-egg binding and fertilization. The similar extent of inhibition of both fertilization parameters in hyperG suggests that the primary effect is on sperm rather than eggs. These results not only support our earlier microG data demonstrating that sperm are sensitive to small changes in gravitational forces but more importantly now show that this sensitivity affects the ability of sperm to fertilize eggs. Thus, more detailed studies on the impact of space flight on development should include studies of sperm function and fertilization.

NASA Discipline Developmental Biology↗
NASA NTRS1996

Suggestions for crops grown in controlled ecological life-support systems, based on attractive vegetarian diets

Assuming that crops grown in controlled ecological life-support systems (CELSS) should provide a basis for meals that are both nutritious and attractive (to taste and vision), and that CELSS diets on the moon or Mars or in space-craft during long voyages will have to be mostly vegetarian, a workshop was convened at the Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas, U.S.A. on 19 to 21 January, 1994. Participants consisted of trained nutritionists and others; many of the approximately 18 presenters who discussed possible diets were practicing vegetarians, some for more than two decades. Considering all the presentations, seven conclusions (or points for discussion) could be formulated: nutritious vegetarian diets are relatively easily to formulate, vegetarian diets are healthy, variety is essential in vegetarian diets, some experiences (e.g., Bios-3 and Biosphere 2) are relevant to planning of CELSS diets, physical constraints will limit the choice of crops, a preliminary list of recommended crops can be formulated, and this line of research has some potential practical spinoffs. The list of crops and the reasons for including specific crops might be of interest to professionals in the field of health and nutrition as well as to those who are designing closed ecological systems.

NASA Program CELSS↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Changes in Plants Developed from Imbibed Seeds Irradiated by Simulated Solar Particle Events

One of the major concerns for long-term exploration missions beyond the Earth’s magnetosphere is radiation risk primarily from solar particle events (SPEs) and galactic cosmic rays (GCRs). With the goal of enabling manned Mars exploration, the production of fresh food during long duration space missions may provide nutritional supplementation and benefit astronauts’ behavioral health. However, the effects of space radiation on plants and plant propagules have not been sufficiently investigated and characterized. In this study, we evaluated the effect of simulated SPEs on imbibed seeds of mizuna mustard, ‘Outredgeous’ red romaine lettuce, and ‘Red Robin’ dwarf tomato. Seeds were exposed to various doses of simulated SPEs (0, 40, 80 cGy, and 200 cGy), either acutely or at a low dose rate (LDR only for 40 and 80 cGy doses), using the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory (NSRL) facility at Brookhaven National Lab (BNL). Simulated SPE exposure was achieved using sequential exposures to protons with a broad energy range at 50-150 MeV/n. Control and irradiated seeds were planted either onto 0.5% MS-based agar plates containing required nutrients for early seedling analysis, or in peat plugs/pots for 28 day (mizuna and lettuce) and 91 day (tomato) grow outs. All plants were maintained under space-vehicle relevant conditions at 3000 ppm CO2, 50% RH, and 23°C, and a 16/8 h photoperiod with 300 μmol·m(exp -2)·s(exp -1) photosynthetically active radiation. Plant/fruit morphometrics and edible fresh mass were measured. Additionally, nutrient analyses were performed on mizuna and tomato fruit. Seedlings from irradiated seeds (both 40 and 80 cGy) showed significant and dose dependent impacts on cotyledon development and root length. Interestingly, small, but significant changes in vitamin content were found in mizuna and tomato fruits grown from 80 cGy (LDR) irradiated seeds. In addition, 80 cGy (LDR) simulated SPEs significantly delayed tomato early seedling development and plant growth, and reduced the quantity of fruits produced from the surviving plants. (This study was supported by NASA Human Research Program.)

J. T. Richards↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Changes in Plants Developed from Imbibed Seeds Irradiated by Simulated Solar Particle Events

One of the major concerns for long-term exploration missions beyond the Earth’s magnetosphere is radiation risk primarily from solar particle events (SPEs) and galactic cosmic rays (GCRs). With the goal of manned Mars exploration, the production of fresh food during long duration space missions may provide nutritional supplementation and benefit astronauts’ behavioral health. However, the effects of space radiation on plants and plant propagules have not been sufficiently investigated and characterized. In this study, we evaluated the effect of simulated SPEs on imbibed seeds of mizuna mustard, ‘Outredgeous’ red romaine lettuce, and ‘Red Robin’ dwarf tomato. Seeds were exposed to various doses of simulated SPEs (0, 40, 80 cGy, and 200 cGy), either acutely or at a low dose rate (LDR only for 40 and 80 cGy doses), using the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory (NSRL) facility at Brookhaven National Lab (BNL). Simulated SPE exposure was achieved using sequential exposures to protons with a broad energy range at 50-150 MeV/n. Control and irradiated seeds were planted either onto 0.5% MS-based agar plates containing required nutrients for early seedling analysis, or in peat plugs/pots for 28 day (mizuna and lettuce) and 91 day (tomato) grow outs. All plants were maintained under space-vehicle relevant controlled environment conditions at 3000 ppm CO2, 50% RH, and 23°C, and a 16/8 h photoperiod with 300 μmol·m-2·s-1 photosynthetically active radiation. Plant/fruit morphometrics and edible fresh mass were measured. In addition, nutrient analyses were performed for both mizuna and ripe tomatoe fruit. Seedlings from irradiated seeds (both 40 cGy and 80 cGy) showed significant changes in cotyledon development, as well as root length. Interestingly, small, but significant changes in vitamin content were found in mizuna and tomato fruits grown from 80 cGy (LDR) irradiated seeds. In addition, 80 cGy (LDR) simulated SPEs significantly affected tomato early seedling development, plant growth, and the quantity of fruits produced from the surviving plants. Generally, compared to 80 cGy, 40 cGy (LDR) of simulated SPEs displayed some impacts to the seeds and seedlings, but to a much lesser degree. (This study was supported by NASA Human Research Program.)

J.T. Richards↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Changes in Plants Developed from Imbibed Seeds Irradiated by Simulated Solar Particle Events

One of the major concerns for long-term exploration missions beyond the Earth’s magnetosphere is radiation risk primarily from solar particle events (SPEs) and galactic cosmic rays (GCRs). With the goal of manned Mars exploration, the production of fresh food during long duration space missions may provide nutritional supplementation and benefit astronauts’ behavioral health. However, the effects of space radiation on plants and plant propagules have not been sufficiently investigated and characterized. In this study, we evaluated the effect of simulated GCRs on dry seeds of mizuna mustard, ‘Outredgeous’ red romaine lettuce, and ‘Red Robin’ dwarf tomato. Seeds were exposed to various doses of simulated GCRs (0, 40, and 80 cGy), either acutely or at a low dose rate (LDR), using the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory (NSRL) facility at Brookhaven National Lab (BNL). Control and irradiated seeds were planted and maintained under space-vehicle relevant controlled environment conditions. Plant/fruit morphometrics and edible fresh mass were measured. In addition, nutrient analyses were performed for both mizuna and ripe tomatoe fruit. Seedlings from irradiated seeds (both 40 cGy and 80 cGy) showed significant changes in cotyledon development, but not in root length or morphology. Interestingly, significant changes in vitamin content were found in mizuna grown from 80 cGy (LDR) irradiated seeds. In addition, 80 cGy (LDR) simulated GCRs significantly affected lettuce and tomato seed quality, delayed tomato fruiting, and reduced the total yield of tomato. Generally, compared to 80 cGy, 40 cGy (LDR) of simulated GCRs displayed some impacts to the seeds and seedlings, but to a much lesser degree. (This study was supported by NASA Human Research Program.)

J.T. Richards↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Continued Environmental Microbiology Monitoring of the International Space Station (ISS) Veggie Unit Used for In-Flight, Crop-Based Food Systems

Crewmembers live and work in a closed environment that is monitored to ensure their health and safety. To ensure occupants’ health and safety during their spaceflight residency, Environmental Health System (EHS) microbial samples including air, surface, and water, are collected, enumerated, and analyzed quarterly to monitor on-board system contamination and potential risks to crew health. Quarterly monitoring of the microorganisms in the ISS environment supports crew safety and contributes to a large set of microbial concentration and diversity data. Based upon data historically collected over the years, in-flight microbial requirements have been established to maintain the health and safety of the spacecraft environment. This study leverages quarterly operational Environmental Health System (EHS) sampling by collecting additional microbial samples from the surface of the station’s Veggie plant production system. Microbial surface samples collected from the Veggie plant production system will yield microbial concentration and diversity that can be compared and analyzed with nominal surface samples from the vehicle. The data collected in this study will aid in the development of requirements for spaceflight-based food production systems. Continued surface sampling of the internal and external surfaces of the Veggie locker, along with collaboration from both Johnson Space Center (JSC) & Kennedy Space Center (KSC) scientists studying the microbiome of the veggie-crop systems, will be implemented as part of the future development of crop-based food system requirements for the ISS and beyond. This presentation will include a review of the study procedures and evaluations of the current results.

Christian Mena↗
NASA NTRS2019

NCERA-101 Station Report from Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA (April 2019)

This is our annual "station report" of activities related to controlled environment research to the North Central Education Research Activity (NCERA-101) committee. The committee is sponsored the USDA National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA). Kennedy Space Center has participated in this committee for over 30 years.

Plant↗
NASA NTRS1986

Void-Free Lid for Food Packaging

Flexible cover eliminates air pockets in sealed container. Universal food-package lid formed from flexible plastic. Partially folded, lid unfolded by depressing center portion. Height of flat portion of lid above flange thereby reduced. Pressure of food against central oval depression pops it out, forming dome that provides finger grip for mixing contents with water or opening lid. Therefore food stays fresh, allows compact stacking of partially filled containers, and resists crushing. Originally developed for packaging dehydrated food for use in human consumption on Space Shuttle missions. Other uses include home canning and commercial food packaging.

Watson, C. D.↗