"Gaganyaan" - India's first human spaceflight programme - is due to take off in December 2021. Four of its astronauts are currently undergoing rigorous 11-month training in Russia.
From lip-smacking upma and poha for breakfast to biryani for lunch, and korma with chapatis for dinner, Indian scientists have prepared a special menu of popular Indian dishes to tickle the tastebuds of Indian astronauts in space.
And to end it on a sweet note, the menu will offer a portion of sooji halwa for dessert.
A team of 20 scientists from the Mysuru-based Defence Food Research Laboratory, which develops food products for soldiers, have curated the menu and tried to keep is as healthy as possible.
"It was not easy to compile a list of food that includes cuisines from across India, but DFRL is ready," said A.D. Semwal, director of DFRL, a lab under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
Most of the dishes are influenced by south Indian cuisines such as Idli, upma, and biryani - they've been produced in dehydrated and semi-hydrated form so they can be transported to space. All the astronauts have to do is add a little warm water and hey presto, grubs up.
"We are keeping our food items mildly spiced, though there will be extra spice sachets for those who want them. The food packs will be desiccated, requiring reconstitution through the addition of water. In the zero-gravity environment of the space module, water will have to be added within a contained space, so that the droplets do not float all around the spaceship," Semwal said.
The drinks will come with special straws, developed by DRDO scientists, which close after each sip to avoid spillage.
Last week, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, while presenting the country's annual budget, said that as part of the Gaganyaan mission, four Indian astronauts are being trained in Russia. "The first unmanned launch is slated for December 2021," she said during her speech on 1 February.
Two unmanned missions must be successfully completed before manned flights can begin.
Source: RIA Novosti
Related Links
ISRO
Space Tourism, Space Transport and Space Exploration News
| Tweet |
Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution. | ||
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly | SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once credit card or paypal |
Out-of-this-world wine back in Bordeaux after space station trip
Bordeaux (AFP) Feb 2, 2021
Twelve bottles of Bordeaux wine and dozens of vine shoots are back at home in southwest France after spending months on the International Space Station (ISS) for an unusual astrochemistry experiment. The red wine and 320 mature shoots known as canes arrived Monday after their return to Earth via a Dragon capsule operated by SpaceX, the private launching company created by Elon Musk. They will be analysed at the Institute of Vine and Wine Science in Bordeaux to see how the stresses produced by ze ... read more