ROOM
55
Astronautics
Occasionally, the reality of space makes some
of these activities and foods difficult. We didn’t
have to deal with zero gravity, or even try to
simulate that part of a mission to Mars. Living
off-grid on renewable energy, however, we did
have to deal with power shortages when the solar
panels weren’t generating enough electricity to
allow for cooking. We used to joke that when it’s
cold and dark out, we can’t have heat or light - or
a proper dinner.
One of the hardest parts of getting through
dust storms, or patches of bad weather, was the
inability to cook a regular meal. We had poor
weather at Christmas, but decided to splurge on
running the generator. We all felt it was important
to have a festive holiday dinner with roast turkey,
vegetables, stuffing and potatoes at a time when
everyone on the crew would be missing their
family and friends back home.
At a later point in the mission, we had a whole
week of poor weather and lacked sufficient fuel for
our back-up generators. That was a very cold, dark
week where we had to get by on dried fruit and
nuts, cereal and cereal bars, and other foods that
didn’t require cooking. If we did heat water, we
would coordinate with others so that we only had
to run the kettle once or twice. Instant foods tend
to be high in sodium, have a lot of wheat filler,
and are generally not as tasty as what we could
prepare ourselves. We were very happy when
the sun started shining on us again and we could
return to cooking.
Eating a freshly prepared, home-cooked meal
every night and only cooking once a week was
a luxurious arrangement. We ate well in the
dome, and our best memories from those eight
months involve special food that we made,
though that doesn’t mean we weren’t excited
when we got out and were able to eat all the
things we’d been missing.
food; something that kept us all connected to our
childhood, our days as college students and our
‘cheat days’ from whatever diet we were trying.
Again, it tied us back to Earth.
Cooking for others was one of the ways that
enabled us to come together as a crew. We
celebrated the successes and laughed off the
failures, and bonded much faster and deeper than
in a traditional friendship.
Of all the challenges we faced as a crew, the
daily meal we shared together consistently
brought us closer together and kept us connected.
It served as a gauge of morale; when a crewmate
didn’t attend dinner, it was a signal to the rest
of the crew that there was something wrong.
Whether it was bad news from home, depression,
isolation or just being in a good flow with your
personal research, it gave the rest of the crew an
indication to check in and keep better tabs on
someone. If the social structure inside the dome
became stressed, it was always most apparent
during mealtimes when the normally jovial
atmosphere became tense and quiet.
Expression of culture
Apart from nutrition, food affects us on so many
levels; it’s hard to understate its importance on
a mission. Not having enough food can cause
low levels of blood sugar, make people irritable,
resulting in low energy and lethargy. Not getting
the right foods can affect mood, the body’s ability
to function and repair itself, and to fend off illness.
Food is also an expression of culture and can
connect you to a feeling of normalcy. Weekly
debriefs were made pleasant by having our
discussions over a batch of fresh scones and a
pot of coffee. It’s also a creative endeavour and,
by spending time creating something delicious
for your crewmates, it becomes an expression
of caring for them and fulfils the urge to do
something nice for the people around you.
Living in the confinements of the Dome, each
day can seem very like the one before - you begin
to lose a sense of time and the exact chronology
of events becomes lost. But particularly good
meals from the Dome still shine brightly in our
memories. Stand-outs that we still talk about
were special BBQ night, burger and multiple sushi
and pizza nights. These meals were made even
more special by witnessing the amount of time
and effort each person put into making things as
perfect as possible for the crew. Sophie recalls
how proud she felt after spending an afternoon
cooking and being able to present the crew with a
splendid and delicious dinner.
We ate well
in the dome,
and our best
memories
from those
eight months
involve special
food that we
made, but that
doesn’t mean
we weren’t
excited when
we got out
and were able
to eat all the
things we’d
been missing
Zak Wilson
Interior of the dome.
