How much does it cost to send food to the ISS?

You don’t want to waste food, either: It currently costs about $10,000 to launch one pound of food to the ISS, and the cost for a Mars mission is expected to be much higher. So while food variety is important, so too is the cost of food.

Does NASA sell space food?

Production, Taste Testing, and Packaging The Space Food Systems Laboratory produces freeze-dried food and packages commercially available beverage powders, cookies, candy, and other dried goods that the astronauts select for their menus.

How much extra food do astronauts take to space?

The space shuttle carries about 3.8 pounds of food, including 1 pound of packaging, per astronaut for each day of the mission. The astronauts get three meals a day, plus snacks. A back-up Safe Haven food system provides an extra 2,000 calories per day, per astronaut.

How much does a space meal cost?

The going rate to launch cargo into orbit is US$10,000 a pound (454g.) Assume a meal for one person weighs one pound, if the US currently had spaceflight, that would cost $10,000. But as we are currently paying a premium to Russia for space transportation, call it $15 — 20,000.

How much is a SpaceX ticket?

Three passengers to the International Space Station next year are paying $55 million each for their seats on a SpaceX rocket, bought through the company Axiom Space.

Do astronauts eat freeze dried food?

To eat freeze-dried food, astronauts squeeze water into the food packages. After the food absorbs the water, it’s ready to eat. Astronauts can use hot water to make hot meals that are tasty and nutritious. Some freeze-dried foods, like fruit, can be eaten dry.

How much does it cost to feed astronauts?

It also charges between $40 and $1,500 per person per day for crew supplies and $2,000 per person per day for food. The result of the new policy is a much higher price charged by NASA to companies conducting private astronaut missions.

How much food does an astronaut eat on the ISS?

For example, an astronaut on the ISS uses about 1.83 pounds (0.83 kilograms) of food per meal each day. About 0.27 pounds (0.12 kilograms) of this weight is packaging material. Longer-duration missions will require much more food.

How much would it cost to take food into space?

The expenditure required to bring a days worth of food into space today would be used to bring a months worth of food into space tomorrow. And best of all, a ticket into space could cost as little as $20,000 per person to lug the weight of your body into orbit.

How much does it cost to send an astronaut into space?

And best of all, a ticket into space could cost as little as $20,000 per person to lug the weight of your body into orbit. Originally Answered: How much does it cost NASA to feed one male astronaut daily in the International Space Station?

How much food would it take to travel to Mars?

A trip to Mars and back, for instance, may take more than three years and require the provision of thousands of kilograms of food. A crew of four on a three-year martian mission eating only three meals each day would need to carry more than 24,000 pounds (10,886 kilograms) of food.