Space Bars: NASA Creates Food Bars For Orion Mission

NASA has been pioneering a wide array of space-ready items for the benefit of their astronauts: from invisible braces to wireless tools, scratch-resistant lenses up to its most recent discovery -- food bars!

The Space Reporter reported that the space agency finally figured out what to feed Orion astronauts for their deep space mission. Considering the team's long-duration stay, nutritional needs, weight limits and an extra treat of flavor variety, NASA is currently creating high-calorie food bars with the appropriate ingredients to meet their needs.

According to the website, taking a sufficient amount of regular food to Orion would contribute to a certain amount of mass that would require extra fuel. Unlike on the International Space Station (ISS) -- where cargo ships would usually resupply food from Earth -- sending food to Orion would not be that easy, either. This means that the Orion food situation requires distinct preparation without sacrificing the astronauts' need of energy-boosting supply.

Since there is nothing available in the market that could actually meet these needs, the Advanced Food Technology team at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, had to design a food bar that would contain the astronauts' required supplement in addition to a multi-year shelf-life enhancement.

"On Orion, the goal is to have a number of food bars to select from in a variety of flavors like orange, cranberry, or barbecue nut for their first meal of the day, reducing the amount of space and storage the breakfast require," according to the NASA statement.

"For lunch and dinner, Orion astronauts will be able to select from similar items space station crew members eat and have a food warmer to help them prepare their needs."

While NASA waits for the success of its Advanced Plant Habitat on the International Space Station, Orion astronauts would just have to hold their space lettuce craving for some flavorful bar treats.