In a unique event in the history of spaceflight, Chinese astronauts were able to hold the first “barbecue” in space aboard the Chinese space station.
Video clips published by the Astronaut Center showed unprecedented scenes of crew members of the “Shenzhou-20” and “Shenzhou-21” missions enjoying a space barbecue using the new oven newly installed inside the “Tiangong” station.
In the first experiment of its kind, the pioneers cooked marinated chicken wings in the oven for only 28 minutes before enjoying eating them, while Major Wang Jie prepared a steak with black pepper especially for his colleague Chen Dong, commander of the “Shenzhou-20” mission, amid a funny festive atmosphere transmitted by the live broadcast lenses.
According to what was reported by the official “Xinhua” agency, the crew received this meal with great enthusiasm and joy, as they expressed their feeling that they were “in their second home”, despite being on board a vehicle orbiting the Earth at a speed of 28 thousand kilometers per hour.
This is not the first time that cooking has been attempted in space. In 2020, the International Space Station had tested a prototype of an oven. During the experiment, five pieces of chocolate chip cookies were baked, but the process took a full 130 minutes due to the difficulty of achieving homogeneous heat distribution in a zero-gravity environment.
As for the Tiangong station, Chinese engineers were able to design an innovative heating system that allows food to be grilled in less than half an hour, with a precise mechanism to collect cooking fumes and ensure the safety of the air inside the cabin.
The addition of the oven to the space kitchen comes as part of an expanded national program to improve the living conditions of astronauts in orbit. China aims to make food more diverse, fresh, and rich in flavor and color, which will help raise crew morale during long missions.
Liu Weibo, a researcher at the Chinese Astronaut Research and Training Center, told Xinhua, “The motivation is very simple. It is the Chinese people’s love for fresh food. We want our astronauts to feel the joy of cooking even in space.”
He added, “No matter where we are, we Chinese prefer our food hot. We are not satisfied with freeze-dried foods. Thanks to this oven, diners can now grill meat, roast peanuts, and even bake cakes, giving them a real sense of daily life.”
For his part, Wang Yanan, editor-in-chief of Aerospace Knowledge magazine, explained that creating a safe and efficient oven in space is not an easy task. “On Earth, heating the oven depends on hot air currents (convection) to distribute heat. In a zero-gravity environment, this process does not exist, which forced engineers to develop a unique heating system capable of cooking food evenly and dealing with cooking fumes without exposing the crew to any danger.”
The Chinese interest in improving the astronauts’ meals is not limited to barbecue only. Since the “Shenzhou-16” mission, the astronauts have begun planting seven types of fresh plants inside the station, including lettuce, cherry tomatoes, and sweet potatoes, and the total production has reached about 4.5 kilograms of fresh vegetables, according to Xinhua agency data.
As for the Shenzhou-21 crew’s menu, today it includes 190 different food items, including nuts, cakes, meat, and fresh vegetables.
