Attempting to make tea in space

by Nicole Weston, Posted Sep 6th 2006 @ 2:34PM

Space travel is an amazing thing, but it's quite clear that not everything that we have available on Earth can be made available in space. Gravity is one thing that immediately springs to mind, of course, but astronauts have had problems with food, too. Most end up craving coffee, salads and other fresh foods, since their in-flight options can be on the unusual side. To remedy this problem, famous chefs have been recruited to help improve the options for astronauts, working with the foods we know work in space to provide a more varied array of meal options.

Some, however, refuse to give up on the idea that favorites from down here can translate to a zero-gravity environment. Malaysia, for example, is sending its very first astronaut up next year and plans to have him attempt to make the country's national drink, teh tarik, in space. The tea is made by pouring "boiling-hot milky tea swiftly and repeatedly from one vessel held high in one hand into another held low, producing a distinctive layer of froth."

It seems most unlikely that rapid pouring of boiling milk - which relies on gravity to move it in the first place - is going to be successful. And perhaps a country should pick a mission that is less frivolous (and perhaps one more likely to succeed) for their first space flight.

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Filed Under: Food Oddities, Drink Recipes
Tags: asia, astronaut, astronauts, malaysia, oddities, pouring, space, tea, teas, teh tarik