Science Fiction
Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
 |
International Space Station To Get Japanese Take-Out
Japanese space food will soon be available on the International Space Station; the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency has certified 29 Japanese food products for use in space.
(Japanese space food courtesy of JAXA)
Astronauts and cosmonauts can now enjoy such Japanese take-out standards as ramen, curry, onigiri (rice balls) and green tea. What took them so long?
The ISS has tough standards for food in space; it must be able to survive the changes in temperature and pressure on the ride up, and must be able to survive a year in storage at zero-g.
Careful food service engineering is also required; for example, the ramen has a thick broth and the noodles are clumped together in bite-sized pieces. Food products are also packed in special containers, and can have preparation times no longer than an hour. (See some additional Japanese space food samples.)
In 2008, Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata will be joining the ISS staff; he will appreciate these JAXA-approved delicacies (made more tasty in zero-G by extra spices):
- Egg soup
- Rice with red azuki beans and wild greens
- Salmon onigiri (rice balls)
- Mackerel in miso sauce
- Kabayaki saury (broiled with sweet soy sauce)
(Captain Janeway regards a food replicator on the USS Voyager)
Science fiction writers have been dreaming of elaborate space cuisine for generations. John W. Campbell anticipated the Star Trek food replicators in his 1934 story Twilight:
The food was three hundred thousand years old, I suppose. I didn't know, and the machines that served it to me didn't care, for they made things synthetically, you see, and perfectly.
(Read more about Campbell's synthetic food dispenser
Robert Heinlein seized upon the newly invented Raytheon microwave oven in his classic 1948 juvenile novel Space Cadet:
...every ration taken aboard a Patrol vessel is pre-cooked and ready for eating as soon as it is taken out of freeze and subjected to the number of seconds...
(Read more about Heinlein's microwavable food rations)
NASA has also given a great deal of thought about how to provide food to astronauts on long voyages; see Robotic Tomato Harvester Ready For Space for details. The Chinese space program is also interested in the effects of space travel on food production; see Chinese 'Seed Satellite'. US astronauts, however, are going to want beef; take a look at Cultured Meat Straight From The Vat.
Via Pink Tentacle.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 6/28/2007)
Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |
Would
you like to contribute a story tip?
It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here.
Comment/Join discussion ( 1 )
Related News Stories - (" Food ")
SliceIt! Why Not Teach Robots To Use Knives?
'One building now gushed forth smoke and another stench that was unmistakable.' - Anne McCaffrey, 1996.
3D Printed Cheesecake Not Quite Food Replicator Quality
With each successive print, our model needed to incorporate more structural ingredients to minimize print failures
Porcine Fat Cells For 3D-Printed Whole Pork Products
'I grabbed two Syntho-Steaks out of the freezer...' - Robert Heinlein, 1950.
Microbial Protein Production More Efficient Than Crops
'It's the food situation I'm worried about...' - James Blish, 1950.
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
Science Fiction
Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's 1950's
1960's 1970's
1980's 1990's
2000's 2010's
Current News
Biohybrid Robots Made Of Living And Synthetic Materials
'If the biological robots were not living creatures, they were certainly very good imitations.'
Drug Induces Hibernation-Like State In Humans
'... drugged and chilled and stowed in sleep tanks.'
Poul Anderson's 'Brain Wave'
"Everybody and his dog, it seemed, wanted to live out in the country; transportation and communication were no longer isolating factors."
AI Note-Taking From Google Meet
'... the new typewriter that could be talked to, and which transposed the spoken sound into typed words.'
Qore IcePlates Are Personal Cooling Suits
'... underneath they consisted of networks of cooling tubes against the skin.'
P1 Just The Latest Robot To Take A Beating From Humans
'...we mere people come second.'
Waymo Cars Shout At Each Other, Autonomously
'My cars talk to one another. I have no doubt about it...'
Your Solar Electric Paint Is Ready, Larry Niven
'...you spray it on.'
How Long Till We Have These Tattoos?
Truth or fiction?
Seeing Faces On Grains Of Sand (AI Pareidolia)
'... the imprint of her image on the telephoto cell.'
Lunar Biorepository Proposed For Cryo-Preservation Of Earth Species
'...there was no one alive who had ever seen them. But they existed in the Life Bank.'
Tele-Driving Offers Jobs For Tele-Drivers, Not AIs
''...some bored drone pusher in a remote driving centre...'
Autonomous Robotic Dentist - Would You Say 'Ahhh'?
You might be surprised at how much more efficient this could be.
GM Scraps Cruise Origin Robotaxi With No Steering Wheel
'Ames tinkered around with something on the instrument board when he got in; and in a few moments we were off.'
Taza Aya Air-Curtain Tech Protects Turkey Workers
'I'm going to have to buy a filter-mask.'
Torobo Humanoid Robot Hammers A Nail
7-axis dual arms, 3-axis waist (pitch, pitch, yaw), 3-axis neck (yaw, pitch, roll), and 4-axis undercarriage!
