ABSTRACT
Developments in space technology have led to a renewed interest in the possibility of maintaining space colonies, or at least manned bases in space, in which groups of people can function during multi-year missions. Consideration of life support systems becomes imperative in planning such ventures. One of the essentials of life support is, of course, food. The modern food system is quite complex and possesses certain characteristics which may complicate the adoption of this system for space habitat needs. The ordinate represents the variety and quality of the diet. It ranges from a nutritionally complete but organoleptically far from satisfying, "formula food" to the conventional "steak, brocoli and ice cream", or "hamburger, potatoes and fresh fruit" diets. Other major areas for research include the impact of the food technology in the habitat on its ecology, consideration of various capabilities for resupply in either normal or emergency situations, and the social and human factors.
