Question One: I've heard that food tastes different when you're flying in an airplane than when you're on the ground. Is that true? And, does food taste different in space?

Michele Perchonok

I had not heard that food tastes different when in an airplane. Airline food has improved over time but there is a challenge in heating the food up with an atmospheric pressure equivalent to about an 8,000 - 10,000 foot mountain. So that may be one of the reasons why airline food tastes different. We do get reports of food not tasting the same in space. Most of the time the comments are that the food is not very flavorful though other comments are that it tastes "different". We believe that this is due to several reasons, many related to their sense of smell. First you need to know that about 85-90% of what you taste is really what you smell. So, when you can't smell as well, the food doesn't taste as flavorful. One of the reasons for the change in taste is that in microgravity (zero gravity), the fluid in your body redistributes more to the head. It feels similar to when you are congested with a cold and you can't smell as well. Second, in microgravity, hot air and therefore aromas do not rise. So it is as likely the aromas may be hitting your feet as often as your nose. And finally, when in orbit we try to save on power usage so the food is not heated to steaming hot and the astronauts eat the food from the food package through a small slit. Again, not very many aromas will get to their nose. A final reason for the comments on food tasting different may be more on the psychological side of it. It is certainly a very exciting time when the astronauts are in space. But it is not their normal routine. We get reports that some astronauts will crave different foods on orbit than at home. One astronaut once told me that he really doesn't like macaroni and cheese on earth but when he is on orbit, he loves it.