SINE

Here I am reading about potatoes on US spacecraft:

Calina Seybold et. al., Space Explorers: A Space Exploration Program for Middle School Youth ，retrieved 11/17/2008

In 1959, NASA started planning for manned space travel and was challenged by the problem of how and what to feed astronauts. Due to lack of storage space and refrigerators on most manned spacecrafts, NASA has found that the method of dehydration and freeze-dried foods is an effective answer to feeding astronauts. The ancient method of dehydration serves two purposes: 1) to dry food, thereby reducing its moisture to between 5% and 25% and eliminating bacteria which cause decay and 2) to preserve food for future use without concern for an expiration date.

Retrieved 11/9/2008

This link I put in the text note “[presents as Buzz Aldrin’s favorite soup freeze-dried potato soup,] but only on Apollo 11 ( the 1969 moon flight), where it was part of the new ‘smorgasbord’ regime and a vast improvement over the awful goo of the Gemini flights.” end quote.

And this really is smart. Listen to this:

Malcolm C. Smith, D.V.M., et. al., Apollo Food Technology, Chapter 1 [438] retrieved 11/9/2008:

"Because water produced as a by-product of fuel cell operation in the Gemini spacecraft could be made available, it became highly attractive from a food acceptance and weight savings standpoint to use dehydrated foods that could be reconstituted in flight. This was the departure point for the development of the Apollo food system.

"The optimal method of dehydrating food is freeze dehydration, a technique preferred because of the remarkable preservation of quality in the resulting product. Color, texture, flavor, nutrient Content, and reconstitution of foods which are properly freeze-dried closely approximate the original food.

The high quality of freeze-dried food derives largely from the technique of removing the water by sublimation directly from ice to vapor with minimum exposure of the food to heat. The food is frozen rapidly in circulating air at a temperature of approximately 233°K (-40°C). The frozen food is then placed in a vacuum chamber, where the pressure is reduced to less than 270 N/m2 (equivalent 2 mm Hg). Energy in the form of heat is applied by means of heating plates maintained at temperatures of 298° to 303°K (equivalent 25° to 30°C), depending on the product. Under vacuum, this heat source provides the energy required to sublime the ice while the temperature of the food is maintained below the eutectic point. The heat input is carefully controlled to provide optimum removal of water vapor, which is collected on condensers within the vacuum chamber. The core of ice in the food completely disappears when the food reaches a moisture content of approximately two percent. This residual moisture remains bound to the food, and the energy level required to free it is greater than that of sublimation.

And then they show a day-by-day menu that has potato soup on it.

CORONADO

You think you could find a few more words I’ve never heard of to tell us about cooking out there. God almighty.

SINE

Here. You can read it. Aura has it already. But see:rehydratable potato soup under Meal C on Menu.

 

A. Command Module - CMP
Day 1,* 5	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4
Meal A
Peaches (R)	Fruit cocktail (R)	Peaches (R)	Canadian bacon and applesauce (R)
Bacon squares (8) (IMB)	Sausage patties (SBP)	Bacon squares (8) (IMB)	Sugar coated corn flakes (R)
Strawberry cubes (4) (DB)	Cinnamon toasted bread cubes (4) (DB)	Apricot cereal cubes (4) (DB)	Peanut cubes (4) (DB)
Grape drink (R)	Cocoa (R)	Grape drink (R)	Cocoa (R)
Orange drink (R)	Grapefruit drink (R)	Orange drink (R)	Orange-grapefruit drink (R)
Meal B
Beef and potatoes (WP)	Frankfurters (WP)	Cream of chicken soup (R)	Shrimp cocktail (R)
Butterscotch pudding (R)	Applesauce (R)	Turkey and gravy (WP)	Ham and potatoes (WP)
Brownies (4) (IMB)	Chocolate pudding (R)	Cheese cracker cubes (6) (DB)	Fruit cocktail (R)
Grape punch (R)	Orange-grapefruit drink (R)	Date fruit cake (4) (IMB) Pineapple grapefruit drink (R)	Chocolate cubes (4) (DB) Grapefruit drink (R)
Meal C
Salmon salad (R)	Potato soup (R) (SBP)	Tuna salad (R)	Beef stew (WP)
Chicken and rice (SBP)	Pork and scalloped potatoes (SBP)	Chicken stew (SBP)	椰子方块(4)(DB)
Sugar cookie cubes (6) (DB)	Pineapple fruit cake (4) (IMB)	Butterscotch pudding (R)	Banana pudding (R)
Cocoa (R) Pineapple grapefruit drink (R)	Grape punch (R)	Cocoa (R) Grapefruit drink (R)	Grape punch (R)