Want to Cook on Mars? One Filipino Scientist is Helping Make That Happen

Want to Cook on Mars? One Filipino Scientist is Helping Make That Happen

 

Susana Carranza, Apollo Arquiza, and Bryan Caldwell aboard the G-1 Force space simulator aircraft (photo from NASA)

 

Ever wondered what it would be like to cook adobo in space? It’s possible, thanks to a Cornell University team that developed a low-gravity space galley that allows you to cook on Mars or the moon. Part of the team is Apollo Arquiza, a Filipino post-doctoral research associate at the university and former professor at the University of the Philippines Los Banos. Now there’s a person who was born to do something in outer space (NASA’s Apollo program was responsible for man’s first landing on the moon).

The low-gravity space galley will allow astronauts to cook their favorite dishes, without having to worry about oil droplets flying or skin from peeled vegetables to float away. If the machine is perfected, every Filipino will be able to cook chop suey without having to fly after the vegetables.

 

Arquiza with the space galley (photo from Cornell University)

 

The research and testing phase of the space galley began in 2011, led by Jean Hunter, an assistant professor and director of undergraduate programs at Cornell’s College of Biological and Environmental Engineering. The result is a prototype cooking device that looks like a regular oven in a large stainless steel box.

“Even daing [dried fish] can now be fried, if there’s a Filipino aboard the spacecraft. No one in the world has ever done anything like this before,” said Arquiza in an interview. The oven is part of a NASA-led manned mission to Mars in 2030.

They tried the device this April aboard a G-Force 1 space simulator aircraft, where they sautéed tofu and potatoes in a frying pan. According to Arquiza, it was a bit messy, but it helped to improve the design to improve cooking in outer space. Improving meal options for astronauts is a huge leap for mankind because astronauts usually eat pre-packaged and freeze-dried food. The lack of nutrition makes them malnourished, and unable to sustain long-term space visits.

The only challenge of the space galley would be the gravity on Mars, which is only one-third as that on Earth. Because of this, oil would float, and would have bigger droplets.

What do you think of this story? What food would you bring to outer space? Share it in the comments below!

 

Want to Cook on Mars? One Filipino Scientist is Helping Make That Happen