Diet of astronauts on the International Space Station. Food for astronauts - what they eat in orbit

Creating high-quality, nutritious food for astronauts is an extremely responsible and complex matter. It was this question that became one of the main problems after the first manned space flight. After all, it was already calculated that in order to maintain the necessary form and healthy image During their flight life, women should consume at least 2800 kilocalories, and men - 3200.

Initially, it was planned to create special tablets containing essential vitamins, minerals and nutrients. But these ideas were never put into practice, although worthy alternatives were developed over the years.

First options when creating food for astronauts

Just like the space industry itself, the astronaut nutrition industry has undergone many changes over the decades. There were special departments and services that were involved in developing food for workers in difficult open conditions. outer space. And all this time ordinary people I was wondering how this happens and what the astronauts eat in orbit.

During the first flights, no special manipulations were required in terms of feeding the astronauts - the flights were not too long, so it was only necessary to provide people with the optimal amount of calories and vitamins. They were given specially designed tubes with homogenized first and second courses.

After a longer stay in space, ideas began to be developed for more effective and high-quality nutrition for people, which continued for decades. It was immediately recognized that food for astronauts should be as nutritious and healthy as possible, have a unique consistency and be stored for a long time.

Optimal diet and convenient transportation of space food

The first thing the developers did was compile a complete diet for space workers. Experts have calculated that in extreme conditions During a flight into space, meals must be taken 4 times a day, and the interval between them must be at least five hours. In addition, daily food products must include:

• 300 grams of carbohydrates;
• 100 g protein;
• 118 g fat;
• the required amount of vitamins and minerals.

After developing the menu, the question arose about the most efficient way to transport food. Then convenient aluminum tubes appeared, in which first and second courses, as well as drinks, were packaged in the form of puree. The weight of each tube was standard 160-165 grams.

Thus, the issue of safety was resolved nutritional value products, their compactness and shelf life. It was equally important to monitor the sterility of food. In addition, food had to be digested as quickly as possible and, accordingly, leave a minimum of toxins.

A modern approach to space nutrition

Over time, another method of providing nutrition to astronauts while in space was introduced. Finished products are frozen and then abruptly dried at very high temperatures. high temperature. This way the ice immediately turns into a vapor state without turning into a liquid. Food becomes much lighter in weight without losing nutrients.

Such food began to be packaged in plastic, and dishes that remained in a semi-liquid or puree state were packaged in special aluminum jars. And although there has been a list of permitted products and a special menu approved by experts for many years, they try to make the stay of astronauts on long business trips as comfortable as possible.

Therefore, in addition to standard dishes, they are trying to diversify the space menu in every possible way, including national dishes and even the astronauts’ favorite culinary delights.

Here's an example of an astronaut's diet on the ISS from an active cosmonaut

Launching a person into space is a difficult matter. Especially considering that this living creature who needs to eat, sleep and relieve his natural needs. And today we will talk about the first point of this program, about how the best scientists, engineers and chefs from different countries worked on the problem of feeding astronauts. Our review concerns what the conquerors of the vast expanses of the Universe have eaten, are eating and will eat in the future.

A little history of space food

The first person to try space food directly in orbit, of course, was Yuri Gagarin. Despite the fact that his flight took only 108 minutes and the astronaut did not have time to get hungry, the launch plan included eating.

After all, this was the first manned flight into Earth orbit, and scientists did not know at all whether the astronaut would be able to eat normally in conditions of zero gravity, or whether the body would accept food. Tubes, previously successfully tested in aviation, were used as food packaging. There was meat and chocolate inside.

And already German Titov ate three full meals during the 25-hour flight. His diet consisted of three dishes - soup, pate and compote. But upon returning to Earth, he still complained of dizziness from hunger. So in further specialists for space nutrition started developing special products, which will be the most nutritious, effective and well absorbed by the body.

In 1963, a separate laboratory appeared at the Institute of Medical and Biological Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences, completely dealing with the issue of space nutrition. It still exists today.

The Americans took a different route during their first flights. The first space food for US astronauts was dried food that had to be diluted with water. The quality of this food was unimportant, so experienced space explorers tried to secretly smuggle normal food into the rocket.

There is a known case when astronaut John Young took a sandwich with him. But eating it in zero gravity turned out to be incredibly difficult. And the bread crumbs, scattered throughout the spaceship, turned the life of the crew members into a nightmare for a long time.

By the eighties, Soviet and American space food had become quite tasty and varied. The USSR produced about three hundred types of products available to astronauts during the flight. Now this number has been halved.

Technologies

Nowadays, the famous tubes of space food are practically not used. Nowadays, products are stored in vacuum packaging, having previously undergone a freeze-drying procedure.

This labor-intensive process involves removing moisture from frozen products using a special technology, which allows them to almost completely (95 percent) preserve their nutrients, microelements, vitamins, natural smell, taste and even their original shape. Moreover, such food can be stored without any damage to quality for up to five (!) years, regardless of temperature and other storage conditions.

Scientists have learned to dry almost any food in this way, even cottage cheese. The latter, by the way, is one of the most popular products on the International Space Station. Foreign cosmonauts almost line up for the opportunity to try this dish, which is part of the diet of their Russian colleagues.

Russian space food

The Russian cosmonaut's daily diet is 3,200 calories, divided into four meals. At the same time daily meals One person in orbit costs our space department 18-20 thousand rubles. And the point is not so much in the cost of the products themselves and their manufacture, but in the high price of delivering goods into space (5-7 thousand dollars per kilogram of weight).

As mentioned above, in the eighties of the twentieth century there were about three hundred types of Soviet space products. Now this list has been reduced to one hundred and sixty. At the same time, new dishes are constantly appearing, and old ones are becoming history. For example, in recent years The astronauts' diet included hodgepodge, mushroom soup, stewed vegetables with rice, green bean salad, Greek salad, canned poultry, omelette with chicken liver, chicken meat with nutmeg and other products.

And among the long-lived cosmic dishes that have existed to our time since the sixties, we can mention Ukrainian borscht, chicken fillet, entrecotes, beef tongue and special bread that doesn’t crumble.

A significant drawback is the absence in the Russian part of the International Space Station of a refrigerator and microwave oven. So our cosmonauts, unlike their foreign colleagues, do not have access to semi-finished and frozen foods, including fresh vegetables and fruits.

Introduction: The article is large, divided into three sections that complement each other: About space food; Space kitchen; Freeze-dried food.

About space food.

Space food differs significantly from our usual earthly food, primarily in that it has a special preparation and, of course, special packaging.

What to eat in cold, soulless and airless space - this question arose before scientists long before the first historical flight. Do not send an astronaut into the wilderness of the stars without food, as they say, to the mercy of fate. Hunting for space game was not included in the flight program...

At first it was thought that ideal food in orbit there would be nutritional tablets that would be completely digestible and would not take time to eat. The pills were never created - they were replaced by portable and completely ready-to-eat food. Research at that time showed that the energy value of space nutrition should be at least 2800 kcal per day. The optimal meal schedule is four times at intervals of four to five hours. In this case, the daily diet should contain about 100 grams of protein, 118 grams of fat and 308 grams of carbohydrates. In order to protect the heroes from vitamin deficiency, they were “prescribed” a vitamin complex of the following composition (in mg): C - 100, P - 50, B1 - 2, B2 - 2, B6 - 2, PP - 15, pantothenic acid- 10, E - 5.

As a result, it was decided to package the products in aluminum tubes with a capacity of about 160 grams. When Gagarin flew into space, he was also fed a little. He was given homogenized foods and took food from tubes during his historic flight on April 12, 1961. Gagarin had only nine products.

(photo from the site: top4man.ru)

Following the recommendations of doctors, canning factories produced a scientifically based space lunch of three courses, each of which was sealed in a tube and could be sucked and swallowed directly from it. The first to eat this lunch was German Titov in August 1961: a glass of vegetable puree soup, for the second - liver pate (replaced with meat pate at the next meal); for the third - a glass of blackcurrant juice. During the twenty-five hour flight, he ate lunch three times, but after landing he complained of dizziness from hunger.

* Space food from the museum exposition in Star City.

The first samples of space food were not very convenient, American astronauts complained especially strongly. The food was delivered in inconvenient packaging, dried products were difficult to dissolve and heat, and it was completely inconvenient to fish for tubes, caps and polyethylene in the cramped cabin of the spacecraft.

The astronauts had to get out. During the flight of Gemini 3, the ship's pilot, John Young, smuggled onto the ship a sandwich that the crew commander loved so much. But as a result, the astronauts did not dare to eat it, violating the protocol, and the pieces of bread turned out to be a real obsession for the crew. After this event, NASA increased control over astronauts.

In the USSR, the first program to develop food products for cosmonauts, led by the Institute of Medical and Biological Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences, was adopted in 1963. It was believed that products consumed in space should differ from those on earth not only in their high biological and energy value, but also in their shape and consistency. The developers of life support systems insisted that food for astronauts be absorbed as much as possible and, when digested, leave a minimum of toxins (since in the conditions of a ship, waste products simply have nowhere to go).

To restore the astronauts' performance, changes were made to the menu. The diet included beef jellied tongue, pies with sprat, Ukrainian borscht, entrecotes, Pozharsky cutlets and chicken fillet. No mass-produced products were used for the astronauts' diet - only specially developed and produced in special packaging.

* Space food from the museum exposition in Star City. The white ball at the bottom is the “water drinker” or the Kolos-5d water supply system.

The first joint space meal took place in 1975 as part of the joint flight of the Soyuz and Apollo spacecraft. By this time, space food had become more advanced. The Soviet cosmonauts prepared a treat for their American colleagues - beef tongue, Riga bread and the famous borscht with the word “vodka” on the tube.

(photo from the site: cosmos-journal.ru)

The heyday of the orbital nutrition industry occurred in the early 80s: then the range included more than 200 types of products. Subsequently, during the years of collapse, the giant space kitchen(which included dozens of institutes, enterprises and raw material bases) practically stopped.

The Gore-Chernomyrdin agreement on the joint Russian-American Mir-Shuttle programs concluded in 1994 also envisaged cooperation in the field of space nutrition. By this time, the Americans had only three long-term expeditions, the longest of which lasted 90 days. They also used deep-frozen products, which were superior in quality to canned ones. In addition to frozen products, the Americans also used products produced for the needs of the army in space. In the USA, they use consumer products for space food. NASA just does additional processing and packaging.

According to the agreement, the Russian side and the United States supply products into space on a parity basis, that is, in half. Before compiling a diet (for each expedition participant individually), an introductory tasting is held in both the USA and Russia. The astronauts rate the proposed products on a ten-point scale (those that score five or less do not get on board). Based on the results of these tastings, a diet balanced in terms of assortment and nutritional value is prepared, designed for 8 days (after every 8 days the menu is repeated). Food is mainly packaged in cans (it is heated by placing it in special cells of an electric heater on the work table) or bags made of polymer materials.

To date official menu Russian cosmonauts number 250 titles. This list includes all dishes whose composition and packaging are approved by the Ministry of Defense and the Government of the Russian Federation for transportation and use in space.

(photo from the site: class6a1130.ucoz.ru)

They have fruit at their disposal, although only stored at room temperature (using a refrigerator for fruit is an unjustified luxury). There's now more choice among main courses, and astronauts can even order something fresh if there's a cargo ship heading their way. Astronauts eat 4 times a day and consume 3200 kL.

(photo from website: gctc.ru)

Astronauts from different countries eat what they are used to. During the first flight of Chinese astronauts in 2003, they had traditional dishes pork and chicken and, of course, rice. They topped it all off with traditional Chinese herbal tea.

Containers with food on the ISS.

Below are photos of tubes produced in Latvia.

Borodinsky bread.

In Biryulyovo, near Moscow, there is a plant (by the way, the only one in the CIS) for packaging food for astronauts. This cosmofood, in turn, is supplied to Biryulyovo from a number of food enterprises. The Moscow Karat processed cheese factory, for example, not long ago supplied the legendary Orbita and Druzhba cheese curds to feed astronauts (these cheese curds are still widely used as an ideal snack for those who like a quick drink).

IN lately The Kazakhstan Institute of Nutrition is actively developing new dishes for space nutrition. These are “Batyr” cottage cheese, “Zhulduz” vegetables, “Dostyk” borscht.

In 2010, a tasting session began at the Institute of Medical and Biological Problems (Moscow), the purpose of which is to provide for evaluation by testers the entire range of products from which it is planned to create an individually oriented diet for the crew of the Mars-500 expedition.

Space kitchen.

Video: How to dine in space, it's all in the details...

The “setting” of the dinner table in orbit is also unusual. For special meals on board the ISS, special cutlery is used, which is somewhat different from those on Earth. To make it more convenient to eat from deep bags, the spoons at the station have an elongated handle with a strip of special Velcro fabric attached to it - this is for additional fixation, to hook the device to the table, otherwise it will fly away!

(photo from website: gctc.ru)

The “dining table” is equipped with a special device unprecedented on Earth (however, and not needed here) - a crumb catcher, which prevents crumbs from the table from scattering due to weightlessness throughout the station and in no case getting into respiratory tract astronauts. There are also special cells on the table for storing food packages - 6 cells, one for each crew member.

The crews, while still on Earth, are learning to heat cans of food in heaters specially designed for this purpose, and to refill bags of freeze-dried food through special adapters from the SRV-K2M system. When filling bags with sublimate, the astronaut needs to be careful: if the bag is not held, it can fly off the filling fitting due to the pressure created by the system and burn the astronaut’s hands; If the tap is not closed tightly, then water that gets on the instruments and devices can cause a lot of trouble for the crew.

* Lunch simulator for astronauts. Nutrition instructor Yuri Pasechnik “makes tea.” Photo from the site: gctc.ru

The water temperature for reconstituting food, making tea and coffee is different: +85˚ C or from +25˚ C to +42˚ C - depending on what the astronaut has on the menu. Hot water is used mainly for preparing drinks, first and second courses, warm water is used for salads and snacks. To have lunch, the astronaut cuts the bag along the colored line, carefully fills it with the required portion of water and shakes it. It doesn’t matter what’s in the package - vegetable puree soup, pasta with mushrooms or juice - the “cooking” process is the same. If everything is done correctly, the bag can be turned over without fear: the double-layer packaging and a special valve will block the contents and prevent it from spilling out.

Maybe the packaging and cans of food are somewhat unusual, and you need to specially learn how to use them in zero gravity, but astronauts definitely don’t need to wash the dishes - after eating, the “plates” and “cups” are simply thrown away.

After eating, food and household waste must be stored. They should not decompose in the closed volume of the station. For this purpose, the ISS has sealed containers of household waste, which, as they are filled, are loaded into a cargo ship, which burns after undocking from the station in the upper atmosphere.

Freeze-dried food.

Freeze drying of products is the removal of moisture from freshly frozen products under vacuum conditions, which allows them to almost completely (up to 95%) retain nutrients, vitamins, microelements, and even their original shape, natural smell, taste and color. The freeze drying method allows you to maintain high taste qualities and nutritional value of food products for a long time (up to 5 years!) at irregular temperatures (from -50 to + 50C!).

Photo used from the site: foodprom.com

Sublimation of food products excludes the use of any flavorings, dyes and preservatives. One of the most important advantages of sublimation is the low shrinkage of the original product, which allows you to avoid their destruction and quickly restore sublimated products that have a porous structure during hydration. Freeze-drying is an excellent way to preserve fruits, vegetables, dairy products, meat, fish, soups and cereals.

The process of preparing space food involves traditional technologies - canning by heat sterilization, dehydration, heat and freeze drying. Not much meat is purchased per batch (no more than 20 kg) and it must be fresh. Other raw materials are taken in the quantity necessary to prepare the product within two days. The main thing is sterility. First, food is cooked on the stove - borscht, cabbage soup, porridge. Then the prepared dishes are transported to another workshop, and the temperature difference before packaging should not exceed 10 degrees (each product has its own thermal regime). In the freeze-drying departments, masters in sterile gowns and masks pour ready-made soups into trays in a layer no thicker than 2 cm. Cottage cheese is also poured into trays. From 50 kg of ordinary cottage cheese you get 12 kg of “cosmic” cottage cheese.

Citation sources: class6a1130.ucoz.ru, dom.ya1.ru , virt--muz.ucoz.ru, cosmos-journal.ru, telegrafua.com, gctc.ru
Graphics: class6a1130.ucoz.ru, hockob.nnov.org, virt--muz.ucoz.ru, cosmos-journal.ru, gctc.ru
Information structured website

Space nutrition in modern world becomes accessible to mere mortals. You can order it in an online store, or you can also make an application to a factory where they produce special food in tubes.

Where are space foods produced?

Space food products are produced at the Biryulevsky plant. He specializes in food development special purpose. Today main task laboratory is the creation of kits rational nutrition For emergency situations, fighters Russian army, as well as for spaceship pilots. The plant also carries out special orders for mass consumption.

Historical information about the appearance of the plant

In the 1940s the government Soviet Union came to the decision that it was necessary to create an enterprise to provide soldiers at the front meat products nutrition. A few years later, the space nutrition laboratory began producing

Over the years, the plant developed, and the percentage of production increased. The list of manufactured products expanded. At the same time, centers were created where decisions were made scientific questions and tasks for the production of experimental nutrition. The Biryulevsky Space Nutrition Plant was working on expansion:

• new specialized food shops for cosmonauts were opened;
• food was being developed and produced for those trapped in emergency on open waters;
• introduced technologies for the production of canned food;
• maintaining and issuing rations for the needs of the armed forces, government agencies and the Ministry of Emergency Situations;
• The technology of instant food has also been mastered.

Special food

The first space flights did not last long - about six hours. During this period, the space food plant researched which food was more suitable in conditions of weightlessness, and so on. It turned out that ordinary earthly food causes astronauts large number problems in the absence of gravity. Thus, the scientific community came to the conclusion that space nutrition simply necessary. Today the plant produces 90% of everything balanced nutrition for the crew, except for cheeses, fish and bread products. This food is of exceptional quality, as it is made from natural raw materials without harmful chemical additives: preservatives, thickeners and other stabilizers.

Criteria for “space eaters”

Developing a balanced diet for long-haul flights is no easy task. Specialized space nutrition must pass several criteria to become useful to members spaceship. First of all, food must be balanced and tasty, and it must also be physiologically beneficial, nutritious and easily digestible. Secondly, the food must be convenient to consume in zero gravity conditions. This clause applies the following parameters: good packaging, ease of use and minimal cleaning. Crumbs in the absence of gravity are very dangerous! Thirdly, the weight of the product should be minimal. There are also high requirements for storage conditions. Food packaging should be easy to open. Garbage should be kept to a minimum!

Space ruler

Today, the plant in Biryulyovo has developed a product line in five areas:

1. Porridges and dishes for lunch: various soups, porridges with various additives.
2. Kissels that saturate with minerals and vitamins.
3. Cereal flakes that do not require cooking: buckwheat, rice, oatmeal, barley, and so on.
4. Cereals for quick cooking.
5. Flour products: cookies, pancakes and even cakes.

Therefore, if the astronaut suddenly got hungry, he could eat not only the broth from the tube, but also chocolate spread, tea, and much more! By the way, today space food is packaged not in tubes, but in polymer bags.

Menu features on a spaceship

Today, two superpowers (Russia and the United States) have concluded an agreement on a parity basis, according to which food is delivered on board. Tasting is carried out at the Cosmonaut Training Center in two countries, only then the product is included in the astronaut’s diet. They were asked to rate the product on a 10-point scale. If the “space eater” scores five points or less, then it is no longer delivered to the ship. Nutrition scientists pay a lot of attention to astronauts who are going on flight for the first time. Because during the expedition, taste changes occur. It happens that the least favorite food becomes the most delicious on board!

Astronauts say that in orbit they eat almost the same as on Earth. Their menu included Borodino bread, kovrigi, berries, fruits and vegetables, as well as tea drinks and coffee. Tubes are starting to disappear from the space collection. The food is placed in jars.

Space developments for earthlings

Let's tell the readers one more interesting fact. The astronauts used the tubes not only to eat, but also as a syringe for injections. But few earthlings know that tablets in blisters were developed in the 60s of the twentieth century specifically for spaceship crews.

Zelenka or iodine in the form of a felt-tip pen in the pharmacy is a common thing. But again, the “medicinal marker” was developed in the interests of the military and space industries.

Conclusion

The development and production of food for astronauts is very important and difficult task. Harsh space conditions, storage and delivery problems require special product packaging. Specific work in space awaits a special balanced diet for astronauts. Do not forget that food can improve mood, this factor also applies to the crew of a spaceship. Therefore, such food requires attention at the same time different specialists: pastry chefs, chefs, physiologists, engineers and nutritionists!

» Andrey Vedernikov told how in the first ten days of sales they managed to sell out a two-month supply of tubes, which sites bring the greatest profit and why the technology cannot be purchased.

Space food in tubes has long been available to everyone who gets to the Moscow Planetarium or the Museum of Cosmonautics. “Space Food Laboratory” went further and literally brought the sky-high kitchen down to earth: their aluminum tubes with borscht, kharcho and cottage cheese are sold in vending machines, like regular snacks.

The first products of the Space Food series “Space Food Laboratory” were released in 2015. Contrary to expectations, it was not soup sets for zero-gravity lunches that hit the fast food market; applesauce in toothpaste tubes. Space Food is produced in the same place where the entire orbital diet of domestic cosmonauts is produced. The only difference is the size of the tube; for astronauts it is a third larger. As for the rest: technology, ingredients, recipes - these are ordinary snacks for people in spacesuits.

Andrey Vedernikov, General Director of Space Food Laboratory CJSC, 39 years old

Five o'clock: Where are you from? What did you do before the Space Nutrition Laboratory?

Andrey Vedernikov: I had several projects, including in trade. Was deputy director of large stores and general director grocery store. He worked in the restaurant business, in the production of cosmetics, in many places - both as an owner and as a manager. At the Laboratory, I am also a co-founder and director.

The company appeared in 2011, and the first products of the Space Food series were launched only in 2015. Why such a gap?

The preparatory period was quite difficult. We work with state enterprises: with the Research Institute of Food Concentrate Industry and Special Food Technology, as well as with the Biryulevsky Experimental Plant. Everything they invent and develop is the intellectual property of Russia and belongs to the state.

The plant produces food for astronauts, and we don’t have very many of them, so the production volumes were small. It took four years to enter the regular “terrestrial” market. We purchased additional equipment, but it is still not all involved, because it is a closed facility, there are a million approvals. Although we did expand the site a little.

What is the interest of the research institute and the plant? Are they missing orders from Roscosmos?

Firstly, it is the popularization of space. Secondly, they also earn money.

The first devices with space food appeared at VDNKh. Why there?

I know the director of VDNKh, I came, we talked: “Let’s try” - “Come on.” There were no tricky schemes or calculations; we weren’t looking for the ideal point on the map. The location at VDNH seemed logical and reasonable: they are about achievements, about history, about the country. They had a “Space” pavilion, and we stood there.

I don’t even remember how much we wanted to sell then - we just decided to try and see how it went. It’s clear that astronaut food is cool, but it’s not a replacement for lunch. For 300 rubles you can go to the canteen. In general, it was not clear. As a result, in the first 10 days we sold out two months of supplies. There were natural queues for an hour, it was a bomb. I think they sold more than 5,000 tubes then.

What did you take the most?

As to this day, borscht came first. On the second - meat puree. We thought everyone would sort out the cottage cheese, we were counting on the children, but no - borscht and meat. After all, Russians are meat eaters, we must not forget about this.

Why did you leave VDNH?

They didn't leave. We moved to the next pavilion ( "Polytech" - approx. Five o'clock), the Buran museum complex opened there. In “Cosmos” there is simply not a permanent exhibition: it appears and then goes away. We are standing in the planetarium. In total we have about ten sites.

Which ones bring the most profit?

Planetarium and VDNKh.

IN shopping centers did you come in?

Yes, to “Spring” and “MEGA Belaya Dacha”. I can say that we still do not have an impulse product. A person can always buy coffee for 150 rubles, but a tube of space food for 300 is no longer possible. So shopping centers don’t really work as a sales channel. Let's just say they don't bring the expected results.

Have you thought about going to Children's GUM?

While I'm walking, I'm taking a closer look. There is interest, but I haven’t approached anyone with any proposals yet.

Last fall, you planned to actively enter universities and increase the number of vending machines to 500. Is this real?

Universities are not the most obvious place, but it’s worth a try, a lot of people study there. Naturally, students will not stop going to canteens and buffets, but they will definitely have an alternative. In addition, no matter how accessible and fast fast food is, sometimes it is inconvenient to eat. Space Food is convenient to eat in any circumstances, even at a lecture, or when you need a quick, extremely quick snack.

Are students satisfied with the price?

Yes, but I understand that she “bites”. For space food, basically high prices. Before us, it was sold in space museums, and tubes there cost 500 rubles. We have reduced the price by reducing the volume of the tube. Classic version, the same one for astronauts is 160 grams, but our tube is 115 grams. That is, a little smaller, but the composition is absolutely identical.

If students don’t accept the product, then what?

It’s okay, we’ll find other channels. This is an experiment, we are trying. You can talk, or you can do. Probably, such things are closer to schoolchildren, but vending machines cannot be installed in schools. I'm interested in any platform. Yes, judging by sales, the product sells best in thematic pavilions and museums about space. For example, they are already waiting for us in the museums and planetariums of Samara and Kaluga, there are many requests from all over Russia. But who said that the product won’t work in other places? We have to look.

Will the price be the same in other cities?

This important topic. While we make money at this price, we try to make the product popular and do not raise prices. The problem is that due to delivery costs, it will be more difficult to work with such a price in the regions: we lose in margin. This is such a difficult situation.

There are two options: either cover the costs with shipment volumes, or reduce the volume of the tube for some products. By the way, there is not only an economic reason for this. I am increasingly receiving feedback that 115 grams is too much, but 70–75 would be just right. Plus an advantage at airports: now Space Food can only be delivered in duty free, that is, when a person has already cleared customs.

Oh, there is a third option. The tube itself is Finnish - no one has made this size in Russia. Now one St. Petersburg company has ordered equipment specifically for us, and such tubes will appear. This will also affect the price.

How do fillings and packaging compare in the price structure?

The packaging is very expensive, the filling is not very much (20–25% of the price). If you break down these 115 grams of products by composition, you get absolutely nothing. The most expensive thing is the production technology itself. For example, it takes 7.5 hours to prepare 500 tubes of borscht. This is a huge energy consumption: the temperature is raised to 120°C. And, of course, man-hours. Here, as in space, everything is produced by hand, every gram of meat is processed.

Moreover, the technology belongs to the state and it is impossible to buy it?

Impossible.

Were there sales abroad?

There are requests. From Canada, England, Japan, France, Germany, Spain, UAE, Belgium. But the situation there - at least in Canada - is that they will have to certify the product in their market. To do this, they need to check the product for safety, get all necessary documentation from the manufacturer, have access to everything. But then the technology will be disclosed, which, as you understand, is impossible. That is, you can buy us, but you cannot (smiles).

How did the certification work in Russia?

There is special services, which certify such secret products. They are also state-owned.

Were there any agreements with the manufacturer on non-disclosure of, relatively speaking, technological secrets?

Naturally. It is in our interests that this does not go anywhere.

Are there restrictions that you cannot leave this project to launch something similar?

Well, look: the institute has developed the product, and the plant produces it. Accordingly, everything that is produced there can only be produced there. This is not possible on any other site.

And if a second Andrei Vedernikov appears and comes to the plant, what will they answer him?

He will be sent to me. According to the contract, they cannot cooperate with anyone else.

So you are a monopolist?

We didn't think about a monopoly. Moreover, it is possible to repeat our product, we are unlikely to be alone for a long time, but releasing it is more difficult. When we first entered the market, we didn’t think that we would immediately be on top. What monopoly? Yes, new product, but this is always a risk.

Will you be removing anything from the product line? Are there any failed positions?

There are no outright failures, but green cabbage soup, for example, doesn’t sell very well. They can definitely be produced less, although they will still remain in stock. Maybe customers think it's something vegetarian? But in space there are no dishes for vegetarians, there is meat broth.

How do you promote Space Food?

I don't promote it at all. Absolutely. All that is happening now in advertising is journalists themselves coming out, calling, asking, asking for comments. With this we close the issue. There is no way to advertise anything specifically.

Why?

What's the point? I am ready to install devices, and for this I do not need to spend money on advertising. Plus, production won’t cope if we advertise something widely. There will be a flood of orders that we will not be able to stop or satisfy yet.

Will space food kits appear?

Can. We have triangular packages, if you put them like this ( stacks on top of each other - approx. Five o'clock), then you can put everything in a trapezoidal shape and brand it. Great gift will. I don’t think anyone will take soup, main course and dessert from a vending machine for 900 rubles to have a snack. No, this is exactly a gift.

Do you have any competitors?

No, for now it is a “blue ocean”.

What if some manufacturer releases a product that looks like space food, something like “baby champagne” in the form of a tube of toothpaste?

It will be a la cosmic nutrition, but not real cosmic nutrition. In my opinion, then the whole point of the product immediately disappears. What is the value of a fake?

Doesn't it matter to a child in a museum?

Maybe it doesn't matter. Here's how to present it. But we are still talking about space nutrition, so I don’t know. Perhaps a la “Star Dumplings from Mars” will work well, but I personally would be surprised.

Will you develop a franchise? Any suggestions?

Yes, a lot, but so far everyone has been refused. As long as we have our own strength, we will not look for partners in the regions.

Did they offer little? Not happy with the conditions?

The question is not “not enough”, but simply - why? For now we are building the company ourselves.