Space is fantastic, challenging, and utterly unlike anything we’ve ever experienced, which means that people who will be travelling there are having to acclimate many human habits to suit the quirks of the cosmos. One of the most basic of these considerations is food. And considering that astronauts often spend several months at a time orbiting around Earth or cruising towards Mars, it’s important to consider not just the need to eat, but also how to maintain morale while on extended missions. Ice cream just might be the perfect solution. Space food is nothing if not multifaceted, and there’s a growing push to include freeze-dried candy in the cold locker of humanity’s intake guzzletubes. In this piece, we’ll unpack why this freeze dried snack is set to become a staple for space fare.

The Evolution of Space Food

From Basic to Gourmet

Early on, most concerns about food in space related to making sure astronauts wouldn’t starve to death – or die of malnutrition due to indigestible food. The first space foods were simple and decidedly unpleasant: purées injected through squeeze tubes. They’ve since evolved with our growing understanding of space nutrition: astronauts eat a variety of foods, from shrimp cocktail to beef stew, and it’s all processed for consumption in space.

The Need for Comfort Food

While nutritious food is key, a growing understanding of life in space has led to an acknowledgment that times are stressful for the mind and comfort foods can help. Missions that last years on end can cause emotional and mental fatigue – and even candy, a staple of stompback-nostalgia, can be a morale boost, a reminder of home.

Why Freeze-Dried Candy?

The Science of Freeze Drying

The process of freeze drying – also known as lyophilisation – involved repeatedly freezing the product and then reducing the pressure around it to enable the frozen water in the substance to transition directly from the solid to the gaseous phase. This way, the food retains its structure and nutrients, while the weight is taken out and the food is designed for long-term storage. This makes the freeze dried snack the perfect food for space flight.

Longevity and Durability

Manned space missions, especially interplanetary ones, can last for months, even years in duration. For longer-duration missions, you can’t be carrying food that needs refrigeration. Another characteristic of freeze dried food is that it can be held for extended periods of time without losing either the taste or nutritional value.

Weight and Storage

However, one of the biggest challenges of space travel is the weight of the cargo. As every gram counts, the lighter the cargo, the better. Freeze-drying products significantly reduces the overall weight by comparison with its non-dried alternative. Another condition is the storage of the cargo. The smaller or higher packed the product is, the smaller the storage volume needed and the larger the cargo that can fit into given space. In terms of storage, the freeze-dried products have a reduction in size and packaging needs, which considerably decreases the shipping expenses.

Popular Freeze-Dried Candies in Space

The Classics: Skittles and M&M's

It’s no wonder that the world’s most popular confections have been carried into the cosmos in the form of freeze-dried candies. Space flies can send an entire confectionery emporium into orbit. Imagine Lalande 21185 c: a planet deep in its own space race Bursting a freeze-dried Skittle in the mouth is a form of time travel. It carries tastebuds home again across a strange universe. With everything inside them, astronauts and others in space can lead lives that would otherwise be unimaginable. Yet there is a difference between being imaginary and being in a state of non-existence. The immense power of our imaginations might bring to life replicants (Drax’s mixture of human tissue with gun-metal) ice warriors (James Cameron’s team added a unique metallic glint with a blend of stainless steel threads and corn), and, it could be argued, models containing a complete human genome on an eight-inch silicon chip. (Pratt and Whitney’s laboratories curated powerful mixes like this.) But can imagination fully replace the real thing? Can medicine save life without a living person to save? Taking the transhumanist philosophy to its ultimate extension, we might bring a handful of unliving gingerbread to the afterlife. We could also attempt it at home, in lieu of performing the Heimlich manoeuvre on a close friend or relative. Or perhaps the Heimlich would still be necessary, to clear the digested cookie from an ungrateful gingerbread essence.

Gummy Adventures

When freeze-dried, the chewy texture of gummy candies transmutes into crunchy, so they are becoming a staple snack; gummy bears and worms appear regularly on space ration menus.

Chocolate Delights

Although the viscosity of chocolate stokes fears about freeze-drying’s ability to capture the recipe’s creamy consistency, freeze-dried chocolate bits work because modern advances in the drying process get a delicious treat to space. The dark cocoa flavor has survived the crucial process of freeze-drying, giving astronauts a luxurious treat.

Conclusion

Whatever works. That’s all they ask, every time, at every distance. Space travel needs to be smarter about its everyday problems. As large space agencies such as Nasa and space exploration rocket into the stars, that tricky combination of tech and human need becomes all the more essential. The acceptance of freeze-dried candy into the space food canon is a win for food science to be sure, but it’s also a validation of the human need for joy, comfort and something like home, no matter how far you go.