Use of Intermediate Foods to Reduce Storage Needs and Packaging Waste

Efficient use of storage aboard space vehicles and manned bases will grow in importance as mission duration is extended and resupply becomes necessary. Foods, prepared in individual portion- packs, convenient for short duration missions, may be a disadvantage for longer missions because of storage space taken up by extra packaging, and packaging waste after the food is consumed. This project would develop and investigate the technical feasibility of concepts aimed at reducing the amount of packaging to provide more food storage. These concepts focus on using versatile food intermediate products in bulk, resealable and/or edible packaging. Intermediate products would be removed as needed, and the package resealed. Phase I would select foods typical of the Space Station/FASI-developed CELSS menus to demonstrate the concept. Selected foods might include; a casserole, bread, a pasta dish, and a vegetable dish. Intermediates for these might include: compressed freeze-dried vegetables, wheatberries, dry noodles, dried nonfat milk solids, sugar, salt, and yeast. While personnel involvement in food preparation could increase with this approach, this should be more than offset by cost savings resulting from reductions in the number of resupply missions needed otherwise.