SPACE TOURISM

What holiday would be complete without good food? Your children and grandchildren (perhaps even you) may one day get to book a ride into space, and it is becoming more and more conceivable that future generations may be vacationing on another plant.

As with any such major developments, there comes both academic and financial opportunities. Take for instance; space food, this has always focused on proving astronauts with functional and nutritious food. As a result flavour and texture are usually overlooked or poorly designed. If you are unfamiliar with space food a couple of examples would re-hydratable meals in pouches and freeze dried foods. Now while this may be tolerable for astronauts on relatively short missions of a few weeks to a year or so, once space travel ventures further, a crew’s well-being may diminish if they were subjected to such a diet over a prolonged period. Add to that; more and more space travellers will be ‘space tourists’, and given the associated fees to travel to space, one would assume they may well be more demanding.

Here are two examples of both researchers and brands looking to explore the possibilities which lie ahead;

Developing ‘better’ space food comes with some serious challenges given the environment in space, including a lack of gravity and sensory suppression. In late 2018 sensory and HCI (Human Computer Interaction) researchers from Sussex University, Carnegie Mellon University and the BI Norwegian Business School explored the importance and proposed possible solutions for developing more sensorially pleasing space food. See more here: http://bit.ly/2sC8h25

During International Stout Day, Guinness’s Open Gate Brewery (the brands innovation hub at the St James’ Gate Brewery in Dublin) announced plans to launch a feasibility study exploring the development of a stout fit for being consumed in a space environment. While this may seem like a PR stunt, the reality is there is a growing number of companies eagerly exploring how to design products ready to be consumed in outer space. The task force put together for this project included Peter Simpson (Guinness Head Brewer), Dr. Norah Patten (soon to be Ireland’s first space tourist), and KT founder Chef Jozef Youssef. See more details on the event: http://bit.ly/2FA6bqU