What was man's first meal in space?

Astronaut Yuri Gagarin was the first person to eat in space in 1961, with pureed food in a tube .

The first meal in space took place during humanity's first flight to orbit in 1961. At that time, astronaut Yuri Gagarin became the first person to fly into space, completing a flight around the Earth. soil in 108 minutes.

Yuri Gagarin was the first person to eat in space. (Photo: IFL Science).

Gagarin's Vostok 1 spacecraft compartment was filled with 13 days of supplies, in case the retropulsion rocket (a rocket that helps reduce the ship's speed) was damaged and had to wait for the ship to lower its natural orbit to return to Earth. land. This is also a good opportunity to experiment with dining in space.

Despite tests carried out in the "Vomit Comet" rover on Earth, scientists still do not know for sure whether basic functions such as chewing and swallowing can be performed in microgravity. Are not. One important thing to keep in mind is "no crumbs", so the solution is foods that can be made into a paste and placed in a metal tube similar to a toothpaste tube.

Even though he was in orbit for less than two hours, Gagarin still had time to enjoy some food. The main dish is pureed beef and liver. Gagarin ate two tubes of this, then ate another tube of chocolate sauce for dessert.

At that time, scientists did not know the effects of microgravity on humans. They didn't want to take any risks, so the spacecraft was controlled from the ground with a code to switch to manual control only in case of emergency, including in case of digestive problems. But with his first meal in orbit , Gagarin proved that eating in space is possible.

More and more astronauts are flying into space and staying longer, helping scientists understand more about the impact of the microgravity environment on humans. They found that people's taste buds can change . Fluids in the body move towards the head and many studies have shown that this can lead to a reduction in the olfactory elements in the flavor of food, similar to eating during a cold.

After Gagarin's time, the diet of astronauts in orbit improved a lot. Not only can they deliver pizza to the International Space Station (ISS), but they can also bake cookies. They can also drink coffee thanks to a specialized cup for drinking in a microgravity environment.

Scientists have even tested the ability to fry food in a microgravity environment. The tests are carefully conducted using a special fryer on the plane that simulates weightlessness. Thereby, they demonstrated that deep-frying in microgravity is feasible with the right kit. However, the "no debris" rule remains a difficult challenge to overcome.