Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla took his love for mangoes quite literally to the next level: outer space. The first Indian to visit the International Space Station, who travelled to space last year, did not go without taking his favourite mango salad. In a recent video posted on his Instagram handle, Shubhanshu gave a sneak peek into how food is prepared while his "restaurant is travelling at 28,000 km/h."
Preparing food on the space station is an activity in itself, Shubhanshu explained. "It comes in different forms - dehydrated, freeze-dried and thermally stabilised - and each requires a slightly different preparation."
In the video, he shows how he prepares his favourite mango salad for lunch.
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"Add water, let it rehydrate, and then choose your preferred temperature. You can put it in the refrigerator - yes, there is a fridge on the ISS - or warm it up in the food warmer," he explained, adding, "A microwave, however, is one piece of earthly technology we don't have on the ISS."
While the process may look simple, it is rather technical and requires care and patience. Astronauts cannot afford food crumbs in outer space.
Shukla explained, "And then there is the small matter of crumbs. In microgravity, they don't politely fall onto your plate. They float around, looking for adventure - and potentially finding their way into equipment."
He added, "So, even a simple mango salad comes with a little science, a little technique and, occasionally, a lot of patience. Bon appetit... from orbit."
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The video received a range of interesting comments. One user wrote, "I always used to see such videos from astronauts of NASA. Really proud to see India today." A curious viewer asked, "Does this taste the same as on Earth?"
One user commented, "28,000 km/h and still making time for mango salad. Priorities, Commander." Another added, "First time I am seeing someone vlogging in space, so cool."
Group Captain Shukla was the pilot on the Axiom-4 mission that lifted off from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on June 25 and docked at the International Space Station on June 26. He returned to Earth on July 15. His space mission was designed to test India's capabilities in human spaceflight and gather critical data for the Gaganyaan programme.