Description of chapter

The Gastronomics of Space Survival chapter is broken into two distinct acts. The first occurs after the Bacterial Cleansing when directions are introduced through announcements and screen icons that represent some of the mundane yet necessary chores that must be performed while in space. Through numerous discussions with NASA experts we learned some of the nuances and concerns that go along with living and working in space such as:

• You must exercise at least 2 hours a day to prevent muscle atrophy

• Bread is not typically used in space due to crumbs that could clog up filtration systems. (however, Russian cosmonauts do sometimes bring bread due to its necessity in their culture and traditions). Instead NASA typically sends tortillas as a bread substitute.

• Cleaning after yourself is very important since you are sharing tight quarters with other crew members

• Food and beverages are sometimes dehydrated and need to be hydrated using a hot or cold water dispenser (special ports in the package allow you to plug in the water hose)

• Liquid beverages are packaged in special bags with straw devices that have a valve that closes immediately after sucking the liquid through to prevent leakage

• You cannot shower in space but you can use dry shampoo and a wet towel

The second act of the chapter introduces a crisis situation on the spacecraft where the crew must fend for themselves to survive. The screen displays a failed attempt to resupply the craft with food, thus all that is left on board are containers of minerals, extracts, and packaged food prepared by the space agency. Within these moments we are exposed to some of the hardships of space food systems. What do we do in times of crisis when our food supplies are limited? How must we collaborate and negotiate to feed our space-faring society? What might we do to develop new perspectives on the scarcity of food in space? These questions may seem eons away but directly connect to the choices we have to make as the crew of spaceship Earth as our resources continue to dwindle and we are forced to find new ways to combat climate change, food security and to feed the planet.

More information

Geophagy

The consumption of minerals has been documented around the world in traditional rural societies. Pliny the Elder tells of people eating soil on the island of Lemnos. The practice is referenced in the medical textbooks of Hippocrates or Cornelius Celsus, and in accounts from European explorers De Sousa, Von Humboldt, or Livingstone. 

The practice of geophagy exists in many regions where materials like clay or kaolinite, sometimes flavoured with spices, are eaten for pleasure or to suppress hunger. In Haiti, poorer people eat biscuits made from soil, salt, and vegetable shortening. These Bonbon Tè are survival rations with little nutritional value, and their long-term consumption is a health risk. Clays such as bentonite, kaolin, or attapulgite, on the other hand, are commercialised as digestive aid and form the base for some medicines.

Clay minerals, when free of contamination, have been reported to have beneficial microbiological effects, such as protecting the stomach against toxins, parasites, and pathogens, and to provide elements such as minerals or vitamin B12, which the human body is not able to synthesise. The practice, however, is considered a health risk during pregnancy.

Seed Vaults

Buried in a mountain deep inside the Arctic circle, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault was designed to protect the world’s most precious seeds from any global disaster, and ensure humanity’s food supply forever. A decade after its opening, extraordinarily warm winter temperatures sent meltwater gushing into the entrance tunnel.

In the Svalbard incident, the meltwater did not reach the core of the vault, and the million packets of seeds it contains remain safe at the required storage temperature of -18C. But the vault, originally supposed to operate without the help of humans, is now under permanent watch.

A new, lunar seed vault project has recently been proposed by scientists from the University of Arizona. The underground lunar ark could be filled with millions of cryogenically preserved seed, spore, sperm and egg samples from Earth’s species. Its goal is to provide a genetic backup for the planet in the event of a doomsday scenario. It isn’t yet well understood how a lack of gravity could affect preserved seeds.

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packaged food items in the experience

ASTEROID SAMPLES / MOSTRES ESPACIAL / MUESTRAS ESPACIAL

Solid

• Rock Salt

• Edible Clay

• Smoked Edible Clay

• Candy Rock

• Chickpea Rock

• Malted Bran

• Nuts Turron (N)

• Dehydrated Vegetable Broth

• Charcoal Bread

• Dehydrated Tomato Mousse

• Palm Sugar Crystal

Soft

• Space Jelly: Rhum + Raspberry (A)

• Kefir Jelly

• Pepper Jelly

• Salt Jelly

• Garlic Jelly

• Mint Jelly

• Cinnamon Jelly

• Sugar Jelly

EARTH SAMPLES / MOSTRES TERRA / MUESTRAS TERRA

Solid

• Sun-Dried Tomatoes

• Dehydrated Cucumber

• Dehydrated Raspberries

• Dehydrated Lemon

Soft

• Sous-Vide Smoked Paprika

• Sous-Vide Zucchini

• Sous-Vide Eggplant

• Emulsified Mushrooms

• Flax Seed Jelly

• Chia Pudding

• Whole Pumpkin Mash

• Sous-Vide Whole Apple

• Fermented Corn

• Fermented Bean

Martian Wine

If you missed it, there were also liquid packages of Martian Wine. Martian Wine is a real project by Carlos Monleon Gendall.

“This project portrays the endeavour of an individual making wine as if it were grown and made on Mars. The aim is to recreate the terroir - the geophysical characteristics of a place such as soil, climate and biodiversity which can be tasted in products such as wine- based on the data available on Mars. The process of constructing this terroir consists of a series of simulations of Martian conditions -light cycles, light composition, soil, and clay- that are used as the base for speculations about the taste and aroma that such a wine might have. The project is inspired by both the aesthetics of remote sensing -some of the most advanced technologies on earth that bring us images and data from remote corners of the galaxy; and by the knowhow of wine-making some of the oldest crafts involved in wine-making -which are still used today in remote parts of the world.”

carlosmonleon.com/Martian-Terroir

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