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.”//