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NEW YORK, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) -- Scientists at a U.S. college dedicated to the research of space food have presented a special Thanksgiving feast for the astronauts working in the International Space Station (ISS).
The flavorful holiday dishes created by scientists at the Space Food Research Facility at Texas A&M University include sliced turkey, candied yams, cornbread dressing, and cherry-blueberry cobbler.
"For many of them (in space), this is kind of a way to connect back to Earth ... a special occasion like this takes on a great deal of psychological importance as well," Bonnie Dunbar, a professor at A&M's Department of Aerospace Engineering, was quoted by ABC News as saying.
Made with highest quality ingredients, the food items are thermostabilized by a special retort system so that the food contains water and is tasty than freeze-dried products.
The system uses heat and pressure to sterilize the food and to give it a shelf life of several years, the Space Food Research Facility said in a press release.
It added that the food is pouched to make sure the astronauts can heat it up in the spaceship's oven, and eat it easily out of the corner of the sachet to prevent the food from floating in the weightless environment.
The Space Food Research Facility is a vital food supplier for U.S. space agency NASA, having produced more than 50 kinds of food products for ISS astronauts since 2007.
The fast development of food science makes it possible for astronauts in space to eat everything they would like to, rather than just formula diet providing all human-needed vitamins and nutrients.
It is also a chance for the spacemen to share cultures and holiday custom, as the ISS crew involves astronauts from different countries.
Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States and the second Monday of October in Canada.
