OBJECTIVES:
This study addresses the risks of performance decrements and crew illness due to an inadequate food system that does not provide adequate diversity to address multi-year and deep space habitat missions. Past research has indicated that menu acceptability can impact the number of calories consumed, which also affects the overall nutritional intake of food by the crew on a mission. These reductions can result in impacts to crew health and performance. Crew data has suggested that the use of a standard food menu for 6 months or longer results in the decline in food satisfaction, and for some items by as much as 50%.

The need for and the amount of variety in choices of foodstuffs can also be tied to the length of the missions. That is, as missions increase in length, so should the menu diversity. Risks associated with food variety reductions include increases in gastric cancer and other adverse health effects such as inadequate brain health, psychological function, and gut health. The current state of acceptability of the ISS food system throughout 6-month and 1-year missions needs to be determined before adequate diversity for multi-year missions can be defined. Additional research needs to account for the sensory and psychosocial acceptability of food by looking at menu diversification and the impacts imposed on food consumption by microgravity, food processing and storage, environmental noise, and eating environment. Such evaluations will help determine the necessary menu diversity to prevent menu fatigue and promote the selection of nutritional choices needed for longer space missions and deep space habitats.

++ -- View more

Crew health and performance is critical to successful human exploration beyond low Earth orbit. The Human Research Program (HRP) investigates and mitigates the highest risks to human health and performance, providing essential countermeasures and technologies for human space exploration. Risks include physiological and performance effects from hazards such as radiation, altered gravity, and hostile environments, as well as unique challenges in medical support, human factors, and behavioral health support. The HRP utilizes an Integrated Research Plan (IRP) to identify the approach and research activities planned to address these risks, which are assigned to specific Elements within the program. The Human Research Roadmap is the web-based tool for communicating the IRP content.

The Human Research Roadmap is located at: https://humanresearchroadmap.nasa.gov/