On February 21, 1962, Astronaut John Glenn became the first American to orbit the earth. His mission lasted nearly five hours before splashing down in the Atlantic Ocean. Glenn completed three trips around the world. Among the tasks Glenn had to perform while in orbit were the first American space experiments in eating food in the weightless conditions of earths orbit.

The flight was too short to make eating a necessity, but future flights were expected to last many days and even weeks. His experience would help design space food systems for future missions. Eating in space turned out to be an easy, though not very appetising, experience. Some experts were worried before the flight that food would be hard to swallow in a weightless environment and would collect in the throat.

The Space Shuttle menu currently features more than 70 food items and 20 beverages. Each day, three meals are allowed, with a repeat of menus after six days. The pantry also provide s plenty of foods for snacks and between meal beverages and for individual menu changes. The pantry also stores additional contingency food to last 96 hours.

Thermostabilized (T): Heat processed foods ("off-the-shelf" items) in aluminium or bimetallic tins and retort pouches.

Irradiated (I): Foods preserved by exposure to ionising radiation and packed in flexible foil-laminated pouches.

Intermediate Moisture (IM): Dried foods with a low moisture content such as dried apricots. Packed in flexible pouches.

Freeze Dried (FD): Foods that are prepared to the ready-to-eat stage, frozen and then dried in a freeze dryer that removes the water by sublimation. Freeze-dried foods such as fruits may be eaten as is, while others require the addition of hot or cold water before consumption.

Rehydratable (R): Dried foods and cereals that are rehydrated with water produced by the Shuttle Orbiter's fuel cell system. Packed in semi-rigid plastic container with septum for water injection.

Beverages (B): Dry beverage powder mixes packed in rehydratable containers.

Foods such as nuts, crunch bars, and cookies. Packed in flexible plastic pouches.

NASA's Space Shuttle has opened a new era in space travel. The Shuttle takes off as a rocket, orbits the Earth as a spacecraft, and lands as an aeroplane. Missions on the Shuttle can last from one to 30 days for crews of two to seven astronauts.

To meet the nutritional needs of Shuttle crews, a new food system centres around a galley that has been installed on the mid-deck of the Orbiter's cabin. The galley is a modular unit that can be removed for special flight missions that require extra interior space. It features hot and cold water dispensers, a pantry, an oven, food serving trays, a personal hygiene station, a water heater, and auxiliary equipment storage areas. The galley does not have a freezer as in Skylab, or a refrigerator.

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