No sooner had humanity tasted real space food in tubes - the dream of every child who wants to become an astronaut, as scientists shocked with new news: soon there will not be a single vegetarian on Earth. Thanks to the latest developments of great minds, soon we will not have to kill animals for a piece of meat, the world will get rid of hunger. While artificial meat grows in test tubes, you can try the food of astronauts, which is sold in many stores. The history of human development - food in tubes and meat grown in vitro, we will tell in today's article.
Tube evolution
Today, space food is associated precisely with a tube, and many kids, squeezing toothpaste onto a brush, imagine themselves conquerors of an infinite space surrounding all the planets. It is in the tubes that you can buy borsch or the second dish in order to arrange a themed space dinner for the family in the evening, but the real astronauts have almost forgotten about the aluminum tubes, and now they eat cans packed in vacuum “dishes”.
The first tubes for food storage were invented in Estonia, where since 1964 any housewife could purchase berry jelly in such a package, and the family conveniently applied a treat to a bun. It turned out that the standards of the tubes manufactured by the Baltic Chemical Combine fully corresponded not only to the standards of this country, but also to the space ones. That is why Estonia has become the largest contractor producing food packaging for space explorers.
The too narrow neck of the tube did not allow the astronauts to eat comfortably, since the pieces of food simply got stuck in it, and in 1970 the Tiraspol plant was able to "fit" the neck to a more convenient size, expanding it by 2 millimeters, which was quite enough for space food to to become more like homemade, with pieces of meat and vegetables.
In 1982, scientists again slightly modified the packaging for space food. Sublimated products began to be placed in special bags, where hot water was poured before use, so that the food became warm.
Why can't you eat burgers in space?
The first people who tried to eat in space differently than representatives of other countries were astronauts from the United States. Initially, the diet was represented by dried foods, which were poured with water before use. Such food did not suit everyone, and space explorers secretly carried normal food onto the ship. So many remember the incident that happened with astronaut John Young, who carried a real sandwich on board. In zero gravity conditions it was impossible to eat this dish, the bun was scattered in small crumbs throughout the ship, and throughout the course of the next flight, the crew's life turned into a real nightmare.
By the eighties, food in tubes was the only option for proper nutrition of astronauts, and in its menu had more than three hundred kinds of dishes. Today it is not so extensive, the number of offered dishes has decreased almost twice.
What do Russian astronauts eat today?
Nowadays, food in tubes has almost completely lost its relevance. The dishes are packed in special vacuum packaging, and the food is freeze-dried before packaging. In this form, it is easier to preserve all the microelements and vitamins necessary for the body, the taste of freshly prepared food, its original appearance, and such products are stored at any temperature for up to five years. The diet of Russian space explorers includes borsch, mushroom soup, solyanka, rice with stewed vegetables, Greek salad and green bean salad, beef tongue, poultry, beef and pork, entrecotes, scrambled eggs with chicken liver, bread, not able to crumble, cottage cheese , and many other dishes. By the way, only Russian scientists were able to adapt the cottage cheese to a long stay in space, and our astronauts are happy to share this product with their foreign colleagues.
It is worth noting that the state daily cost of one astronaut costs 20 thousand rubles. This price does not depend on products and packaging techniques, the high cost of food is justified by the delivery of products on board, which costs 7 thousand dollars per kilogram of cargo.
Nutrition of American astronauts
Unlike Russian astronauts, on board who do not have microwaves and refrigerators, Americans can boast of having such necessary equipment. Due to this, their diet is more diverse. They can afford the convenience foods. The rest of the dishes are similar, just like the Russians, American colleagues eat freeze-dried foods. The specifics of nutrition for astronauts from the USA is a large number of citrus fruits, while our guys prefer grapes and apples.
Other countries
The Japanese in space can not do without traditional sushi, a variety of varieties of green tea, noodle soup and soy sauce.
Chinese astronauts eat more close to our usual food. The basis of their diet is rice, pork and chicken.
The most exotic dishes can boast the French. They constantly have on board mushrooms, truffles, cheese. There was a case when the French astronaut was denied the ability to carry mold cheese onto a ship. Scientists were afraid that this fungus could affect the entire biological situation at the orbital station.
The future of space for artificial meat
Test-tube meat, personally grown vegetables and fruits in the garden on a spaceship - this is the future of space exploration. Scientists have been working for many years to create a spaceship capable of transferring astronauts to Mars, having traveled a long journey several years long.
But the ship is not the only problem, scientists are also working on creating a real garden where astronauts can grow vegetables. For several years, there have been tests to grow artificial meat, which astronauts will also be able to grow on their own so that nutrition is complete. It is this product that will become the future not only of the space industry, but of all mankind.
Meat without meat
Scientists have learned to create artificial meat, and this news has pleased most people. We are predators by nature, and the body simply needs meat and the substances contained in it for normal operation. Many people became vegetarians because of their great love for animals, some because of a disease that does not allow eating such food, and someone simply can not afford to eat meat dishes daily, since the budget is small.
All these problems are already being solved, and soon every inhabitant of the planet will be a carnivore, because in the production of a product no animal will be harmed, it will be practically harmless, since absolutely all aspects are taken into account when growing meat in a test tube.
Who needs this?
Some will ask: "Why all these troubles? Throughout the whole history they have grown real grunts, mumbling and clucking, why not continue?" The thing is that humanity is growing at an incredible speed, there is simply not enough meat for everyone in the near future, and in some countries people are already really starving, since this product is too expensive a treat.
In addition to the fight against hunger, the problem of keeping slaughterhouses, which prevent animal defenders from sleeping normally at night, will disappear. No cute creature will ever give up his life to feed a person.
In addition to animals, the cultivation of artificial meat will preserve many hectares of land that will be used to build housing for people, not farms. We will also be able to preserve the ecology, which is hinting by global warming that it is time to reduce the flow of harmful substances into the atmosphere. Artificial meat consumes 40% less energy, 98% less land is needed for its cultivation, 95% less greenhouse gas and methane emitted, which lead to global warming, and the consumption of clean water will decrease significantly.
Cultivated artificial meat by 2050 will be available to everyone, it will be several times cheaper than the present, and its quantity will satisfy the need for food for all of humanity.
Test meat history
Winston Churchill said that one day we will raise one chicken to eat only breasts daily, and the bird itself will remain alive, giving away several cells once, which will grow in a separate environment. The great president’s prophecy began to come true in 2000, when scientists presented the result of their experiment by growing a small piece of meat from cells taken from a goldfish.
In 2001, NASA began to reflect on the astronauts' need for a long-term and self-renewing food source, and experiments began on growing turkey meat.
In 2009, scientists from the Netherlands announced that they were able to grow a piece of pork. They presented the result of their work to the discussion of the entire scientific world, and thereby were able to find many sponsors who are ready to invest in the development of this industry.
Artificial Meat Hamburger
A piece of pork grown by scientists was the first success in the field of in vitro meat production. It was decided to work further in a given direction, and financing was not long in coming. Wealthy sponsors from around the world began to invest in development, and they themselves decided to remain in the shadows without disclosing their names.
The scientist Mark Post took up the cultivation of beef, and promised that in 2012 he would provide a piece that would be enough to cook one hamburger. I just warned immediately that the price of this piece would be sky-high, and the taste could not match the real meat, but this is only the beginning!
Artificial meat from cow stem cells could grow to a weight of 140 grams by 2013, and from it, as promised, a long-awaited hamburger was prepared. They didn’t only put the dish up for auction, but fed it to the nutritionist Hanni Rutzer for free to get a professional assessment of the ready-to-eat first artificial meat.
The tasting took place in London, and the “experimental” nutritionist delivered his verdict: too dry, completely fat-free meat, but quite suitable for food.
Scientists have promised that with continued funding, they will be able to grow a juicy, large piece of meat in a shorter time. They said that they were able to find out the cause of dryness, and they know how to improve the situation for the better. With a positive trend, in 20 years later, affordable and good-quality artificial meat will appear on store shelves.
How is meat grown in vitro?
The production of artificial meat is a rather complicated process. Stem cells are taken from the animal and placed in a special container where they have to grow. Cells constantly need oxygen, which is supplied by blood vessels in a living being. Here, the vessels are replaced by bioreactors in which a sponge matrix is formed (meat grows in it, enriched with oxygen, removes waste).
There are two varieties of artificial meat: unbound muscle tissue, full muscle. Scientists are working hard on the second option. The process is complex, because you need the correct formation of fibers, and for this muscle needs to be trained daily! That is why the growth is still too long.
Difficulties
Initially cultivated meat will be expensive, and not every company will decide to engage in its introduction into the ranks of products familiar to people.
There may also be a problem with a person’s confidence in such a product. There will be many questions about how gene modifications will affect the body's health. Not every person will be able to eat artificial meat, as he is afraid for his condition, although scientists promise that it will be safer than the present.
It will take quite a while for people to get used to innovation, so this industry will develop more slowly than expected.
Farmers are already beginning to worry about their well-being, as they are afraid that "live meat" will cease to be in demand, and they will be left without work.
However, no matter how pessimistic the predictions, artificial meat is our future, and the future of the whole planet. We look forward to tasting the cutlet, for the manufacture of which it was not required to kill the animal!