The Astronaut's Cookbook

Main Category: Nutrition / Diet
Article Date: 28 Nov 2009 - 0:00 PST

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Most people are intimately familiar with the awe-inspiring photos of space shuttle launches or images of the Earth from the International Space Station. But how many people have paused for even a second to think about what those astronauts eat when they're on a two-week space shuttle mission or are living for months on the International Space Station?

Now, a truly unique book - The Astronaut's Cookbook - Tales, Recipes, and More - written by NASA veterans Charles T. Bourland and Gregory L. Vogt gives a first look at what astronauts eat while in space. The Soviet cosmonaut, Gherman Titov, was the first human to consume food in space, and John Glenn, Jr., the first American to consume food in space. Now, The Astronaut's Cookbook unveils the history of food in space and explains how NASA improved the food over the years.

The Astronaut's Cookbook also gives readers instructions and recipes on how they can cook their own space food. In addition, celebrity chefs Rachael Ray and Emeril Lagasse contributed recipes to the NASA space program, and their recipes are featured in the book, including Rachael Ray's 5-Vegetable Fried Rice with 5-Spice Pork.

Co-author Charles Bourland's extensive experience working with NASA's food program gives a behind-the-scenes look. Anecdotes throughout the book share unique stories about the NASA food program, including one astronaut's quest to eat Georgia BBQ in space.

Charles T. Bourland spent 30 years at the NASA Johnson Space Center developing food and food packages for spaceflight. He began his work during the Apollo 12 program and continued through the early years of the International Space Station.

Gregory L. Vogt is a veteran writer, science consultant, and developer of science and technology materials for schools. A former science teacher himself, Vogt has been director of an interactive science museum, an education specialist with the Astronaut Office at the NASA Johnson Space Center, and a consultant to museums.

Charles T. Bourland and Gregory L. Vogt
The Astronaut's Cookbook - Tales, Recipes, and More
2010. 219 pages, 60 color llustrations
Softcover $29.95; €29.95; £19.99
ISBN 978-1-4419-0623-6

Source: Joan Robinson
Springer