China prepares space menu for future missions

BEIJING, China – China is developing a new food concept for future deep space exploration missions to ensure astronauts have not only nutritious but also varied meals, reports China Daily.

Researchers are developing techniques to serve Chinese cuisine in space so that astronauts can enjoy “the flavours of home cooking,” said Li Yinghui, a researcher at the China Astronaut Research and Training Centre.

“Various functional space foods featuring antioxidant effects, immune support, fatigue relief and gut microbiome regulation have been developed to enhance astronauts’ in-orbit adaptability,” Li added.

In the future, China plans to develop space cooking technology to enable long-term life beyond Earth and help astronauts deal with physiological problems caused by weightlessness and radiation and stay healthy during missions longer than 180 days.