Sending Canned Mackerel to Space
In 2018,/JAXA approved canned mackerel/as space food. It was developed/in Wakasa High School/in Fukui. That was the first approval/for high school students. How did students make space food?
The school has a marine science course. It has facilities/for processing fish. Because Fukui is famous for its mackerel,/the facilities are often used/for canned mackerel production.
In 2006,/the school received a special food safety certificate,/HACCP. After that,/the students learned/that HACCP was originally developed/by NASA/for space food production. They were inspired/by this fact. In 2007,/they began making plans/for producing their canned mackerel/as space food.
The canned mackerel/had to meet the requirements/of JAXA. There were two main difficulties/in making the canned mackerel.
The first difficulty was/to make a sticky sauce. When astronauts eat,/liquid should not float around/in the space station. After many attempts,/the students found a solution. They added kudzu starch/to the sauce. It finally became sticky enough.
The second difficulty/was the taste. In space,/astronauts’ sense of taste/may become dull. So/space food needs to have a strong flavor. The students tried to figure out/the best level of flavor/without actually going to space. They made many samples/with different amounts/of soy sauce and sugar/to find the best balance. Finally,/they agreed on a recipe.
During twelve years of trial and error,/more than 300 students were involved/in this project. After their canned mackerel was approved/in 2018,/Wakata Koichi,/a Japanese astronaut,/visited the school. When he tried the product,/he smiled and said,/“It tastes good/and goes well with rice.”
The students’ space food/was launched to the ISS/in 2019. Thanks to the students,/Japanese astronauts can enjoy/a taste of home.
The students are happy/with their accomplishment. Yet,/they are still motivated/to improve their product. One of the students said,/“We still have a lot of things to try. I hope/that not only Japanese astronauts,/but also foreign astronauts/will enjoy our local mackerel.”
In 2018,/JAXA approved canned mackerel/as space food. It was developed/in Wakasa High School/in Fukui. That was the first approval/for high school students. How did students make space food?
The school has a marine science course. It has facilities/for processing fish. Because Fukui is famous for its mackerel,/the facilities are often used/for canned mackerel production.
In 2006,/the school received a special food safety certificate,/HACCP. After that,/the students learned/that HACCP was originally developed/by NASA/for space food production. They were inspired/by this fact. In 2007,/they began making plans/for producing their canned mackerel/as space food.
The canned mackerel/had to meet the requirements/of JAXA. There were two main difficulties/in making the canned mackerel.
The first difficulty was/to make a sticky sauce. When astronauts eat,/liquid should not float around/in the space station. After many attempts,/the students found a solution. They added kudzu starch/to the sauce. It finally became sticky enough.
The second difficulty/was the taste. In space,/astronauts’ sense of taste/may become dull. So/space food needs to have a strong flavor. The students tried to figure out/the best level of flavor/without actually going to space. They made many samples/with different amounts/of soy sauce and sugar/to find the best balance. Finally,/they agreed on a recipe.
During twelve years of trial and error,/more than 300 students were involved/in this project. After their canned mackerel was approved/in 2018,/Wakata Koichi,/a Japanese astronaut,/visited the school. When he tried the product,/he smiled and said,/“It tastes good/and goes well with rice.”
The students’ space food/was launched to the ISS/in 2019. Thanks to the students,/Japanese astronauts can enjoy/a taste of home.
The students are happy/with their accomplishment. Yet,/they are still motivated/to improve their product. One of the students said,/“We still have a lot of things to try. I hope/that not only Japanese astronauts,/but also foreign astronauts/will enjoy our local mackerel.”