ABSTRACT
VI. FOOD SAFETY IN SPACE A. Early Space Flights When the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) initiated space flights in the 1960s, one criterion for foods was the absence of pathogens or tox ins. Also, the compressed time schedules for flights made finished product testing difficult to accomplish. This led one of the contract firms supplying food, Pillsbury, to develop the HACCP system in which critical control points were identi fied in the process of each food, from ingredients to the meals eaten by the flight crew, to prevent the incorporation of hazards (pathogens or toxins) into the process or to eliminate or reduce them if they were present (118). In the early days of space flight (Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs) the amount of food was limited, although the Apollo craft had facilities for heating. Crew on Apollo cap sules could use retort pouches for thermostabilized foods. Following rehydration of the contents, a pressure-type plastic zipper was opened and the food removed with a spoon. The moisture content in the food enabled it to cling to the spoon, making eating in zero gravity a more normal experience.
