A108. What kind of food should we bring to the Moon? (A K2S Question)
From The Space Library
What's going to be important on the Moon in the early days is to have food that creates a minimal amount of waste excretion, with little smell. This was exactly the kind of diet that the Apollo astronauts got during their voyage. Stuff that crumbles will be unpopular, although there will be ample time to catch crumbs on the Moon. This is why things like tortillas and fruit & granola bars are popular with astronauts—less waste to clean up from the meal. Astronauts enjoy a wide variety of pre-prepared meals, and in the beginning it's likely we'll just be making more of them for shipment to the Moon. Once we get established on the Moon, with greenhouses, home cooking will be much more popular. What's cooked, though, may be a bit unusual. Fruits and vegetables will be important, and breads from quick-growth wheat. Meat proteins may well come from rabbits and guinea pigs. Aquaculture (fish and shrimp) will also be an early lunar industry with fish being produced as part of the waste reprocessing system. Some insects, especially caterpillars and grubs, may also be raised as a protein source. It should be noted that insects are often used as a protein source in non-western societies. Initially all food needed will be brought from Earth. However an early priority for settlements will be to become self-sufficient in food production. Because of the limitations of space and labor, the basic diet of the Moon early on will be mostly vegetarian, with soy proteins replacing those from animals.
Answer provided by Thomas Matula, Ph.D. & Kenneth J. Murphy
Question and Answer extracted from the book Kids to Space - by Lonnie Schorer
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