. JOE SEXTON : Jean Hunter is a food engineer at Cornell University. She's one of the scientists who will be helping NASA design the menu for future space voyagers. Welcome to our program, Professor Hunter.
. PROFESSOR JEAN HUNTER : Hello and thank you very much for inviting me.
. JOE SEXTON : It seems after some time in space, astronauts start c raving foods they might never have liked on Earth. So what kind of foods do astronauts crave while they’re in space?
. PROFESSOR JEAN HUNTER : They crave peppers. They crave sour and sweet things.
. JOE SEXTON : Besides a taste for hot peppers, what other kinds of foods do astronauts prefer when they are away from Earth?
. PROFESSOR JEAN HUNTER : Foods that rely on smell are less preferred.
. JOE SEXTON : Really? Why is that?
. PROFESSOR JEAN HUNTER : That's because most of our sense of taste is based on smell, so food th at is only pleasurable for its smell isn't as good in space. For example, many people don’t know that the pleasure of coffee comes mostly from its aroma.
. JOE SEXTON : What do you mean by that? Are you saying that coffee has no taste?
. PROFESSOR JEAN HUNTER : Well, not exactly, but if you hold your nose while drinking coffee, you’ll realize that you're getting just a bitter liquid without much taste at all.
. JOE SEXTON : So why do we lose our sense of smell in space?
. PROFESSOR JEAN HUNTER : No one is sure. But there are some interesting ideas. Some people say that gravity or, more properly, its absence, may be part of the problem. Hot air doesn't rise in a weightless environment. And so, the aromas aren't necessarily going to yournose. They may be going to your elbow.
. JOE SEXTON : Wow! I never thought about that!
. PROFESSOR JEAN HUNTER : We also need to think about what happens to the fluids in your body. On Earth, gravity tends to pull those fluids downward, toward your feet. In space they go everywhere, including to your head. So, you look a bit like a cartoon character.
.JOE SEXTON : Like a cartoon character?
. PROFESSOR JEAN HUNTER : Yes! We call it the Charlie Brown face, because their faces get more round.
.JOE SEXTON : Why more round?
.PROFESSOR JEAN HUNTER : Because they are retaining fluid in their heads. And as they retain fluid, they also feel like they have a cold or they're congested. And again, they're not smelling as much.
. JOE SEXTON : So what are you and your colleagues at Cornell doing to test the stu ffy nose theory?
.PROFESSOR JEAN HUNTER : Well, we’re trying to replicate the situation on Earth by asking volunteers to spend several weeks in a bed where their heads are lower than their feet, to try to recreate that Charlie Brown effect.
. JOE SEXTON : Is th is the first experiment you run about smell?
.PROFESSOR JEAN HUNTER : No, a couple of years ago I spent four months with six colleagues in a tiny cabin in the Arctic - a Mars habitat simulation. No fresh air, no fresh food, limited water so showers were once a week. It was cramped , but no one complained of the smell.
. JOE SEXTON : How was that possible?
.PROFESSOR JEAN HUNTER : We felt it was pretty normal, until we went outside at the end of our four months. And, you know, we spent a little time in the fresh air , and then went back into the habitat... Oh My God!! It was absolutely unbearable!!
.JOE SEXTON : So what do you put on the menu for people who are losing their sense of smell and can't get fresh food for months?
.PROFESSOR JEAN HUNTER : Now we are planning to run another of these Mars habitat simulations to help NASA come up with some ideas. One of the most common foods is dry vegetable protein because it can be kept for a long time.
. JOE SEXTON : I see but...does that taste good?
.PROFESSOR JEAN HUNTER : It's OK. I mean, it looks like dog food. It tastes a little bit like dog food. But, with a bit of creativity, it can be made into quite good food. We want the people who will take part in these simulations to be creative with their cooking. We plan to give them a wi de variety of spices and herbs, and as many different ingredients as we can think of. And this is great because then, from a limited set of ingredients, you can get thousands and thousands of dishes.
.JOE SEXTON : Even without fresh fruit and vegetables, is it possible to make some, shall we say, interesting dishes?
.PROFESSOR JEAN HUNTER : Absolutely!, with powdered milk alone, you can make a pretty poor mozzarella, but it's a mozzarella anyway. And after you haven't had fresh cheese for several months, even a little bit of not very good mozzarella is a wonderful, wonderful thing. You can put it on some toast, you can make a basic pizza... It becomes a real treat.
.JOE SEXTON : At least it will keep your mind off the stress of being locked up in a tiny space with a half dozen others! Thank you Professor Hunter for this very interesting conversation.
.PROFESSOR JEAN HUNTER : Thank you!