PROJECT 2: FOOD FOR ASTRONAUTS

TRADITIONAL BULGARIAN AND SPANISH GRASTRONOMY IN SPACE 

 How do the astronauts feed in the space?

Daniela Georgieva 

V-th primary school, Kyustendil, Bulgaria

José Luis Olmo

IES Azuer de Manzanares (Ciudad Real Spain). 

INTRODUCTION

One of the most important challenges that we find in the trips or stays in space is the feeding of the astronauts. 

The first enquiry based problem for the students is to investigate these special requirements, besides, to realize its main function to cover its biological necessities of nutrients and energy. 

For example, in microgravity conditions some foods leave crumbs, which can obstruct the ventilation ducts, or drinks leave drops that can float in the cab and cause damage to the equipment. Other important properties are that food supplies should not be very heavy, have to be kept for a long time and have to be easily manipulated. 

Hence the two more subjects for investigation are: the kind of foods that are convenient for the astronauts in space and the methods to prepare them in order to meet these requirements.

Description: In solving both of these problems the teams turn to the old national traditions of Spain and Bulgaria that could be employed in the preparation, storing and packaging food products for astronauts. It is important that these could be used also in everyday life – in hospitals, for soldiers, for winter reserves,  etc.- 

OBJETIVES

•      Know the peculiar characteristics of the food of the astronauts. 

•      Select typical meals from Bulgaria and Spain that meet the necessary requirements to feed the astronauts. 

•      Elaborate and manufacture various menus and meals for astronauts. 

•      Familiarize students with the methods of preparation, storing and packaging food products for astronauts, hospitals, soldiers, winter reserves, etc

•      Use the 4Cs with the students Partnership for 21st century skills  

The Spanish part of the team has concentrated on the first two objectives, by preparing a series of food for the astronauts basing on the Spanish typical traditional meals. They have selected the Andalusian gazpacho, the potato omelet and serrano ham, as very traditional Spanish meals and also very healthy and nutritional. Preparing them from dried vegetables, eggs and meat, they vacuum packed them for the use in space, after diluting them with water. At the moment the students are working on the preparation of meals, experimenting with them. In addition, continue searching for other meals, some traditional Bulgarian meals could be added and prepared from foods prepared by the methods developed by the Bulgarian team.

Based on old traditionally Bulgarian methods, the Bulgarian part of the project’s team elaborated more on the methods of preparing and storing food by introducing new technological methods, which includes various methods of drying food by (deep freezing and vacuum-freezing of frozen particles), preparation for sun and shade drying, gelation storage for processing and preserving. The project provokes the interest and desire of students to seek new technological methods of processing and storage. The project allows for comparison of old Bulgarian methods with modern technological developments.

To this stage of the project the two teams have been working independently, coordinating the activities by exchange of information and e-mails. It will be very useful the two teachers to meet before the International festival and coordinate the possible further development of their activities and the common presentation of the joined project at the International festival. 

As a further development of the project could be included the methods of evaluation of the quality of the prepared food and its conservation.

CONCLUSION

With this type of activity the students are working the 4Cs and in addition, putting into practice something that has value in real life, because in the future it will be very important food in the space and also, can be of great help in our world to prevent starvation or solve problems of food supplies in developing countries or to develop new products in the current market for food.