Eating in Space

Expedition Two Flight Engineer James Voss with two apples
Photo courtesy NASA

Eating can be quite a challenge in space. In a microgravity environment such as space, there are no forces at work to keep food and beverages from floating. There is no reason for solid food to stay on a plate! As a matter of fact, there's no reason for the plate, table, utensils or chairs to stay in place, is there? Many of the foods are in small containers and if they are "sticky" enough, the food will hold together and can be eaten with a spoon. 
What about drinking? On Earth, you might place your juice in a cup. Now what do you do? You raise the glass up and pour the juice into your mouth. You take advantage of gravity to pour the juice into your mouth. What happens when you pour a liquid in space? There is no gravity! Liquids tend to form small droplets. Some materials will even crawl up and over the side of their containers. 

What about using a straw? How does a straw work on Earth? You suck the liquid up into your mouth and swallow. When you stop sucking the liquid drops back through the straw and into the cup or can. What do you think happens in space? 

Remember Newton's 1st Law: a body stays in motion until another force acts on it. If you suck a liquid up into a straw in space and then stop, Earth's gravity does not pull the liquid back through the straw and into the cup. The liquid will travel out the top of the straw once you take your mouth off of the straw!

Check that you understand what these words mean in this document
Microgravity: very small gravity.
Beverage: a drink.
As a matter of fact: in reality or actually.
To tend to do something: to often do something.
To suck: to draw into the mouth by creating a vacuum in the mouth.

For further information visit:
Working in Space
Video clip of how astronauts eat in space