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Astronaut

Eating in Space

To help astronauts eat in space, a special food tray holds different food types and packages in place. This prevents food from drifting in a microgravity environment.

Mission:

Learn why astronauts use food trays to eat in space.

Experiment:

Step 1.
Locate the food trays in the photograph above. 		Step 2.
Notice that the front of the food trays have several Velcro patches and a magnetic strip. 		Step 3.
Each food tray has Velcro strips on the back of it. 		Step 4.
Locate the light blue Velcro strips on the astronaut's pants. What do you think they are used for?
tray back tray front

Theorize:

  1. Where would the food go on the tray?
  2. Where would the silverware go on the tray?
  3. What use are the Velcro straps on the back of the tray?
  4. What happens when you turn the food tray upside down with the food and silverware attached to it?
  5. What would happen if you didn't have the astronaut pants on and were in space?
  6. Without this special tray, what would happen to food in space?
MOR
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