Astronauts Are Attempting to Bake DoubleTree's Famous Cookies in Space
Life on the International Space Station (ISS) isn’t all Tang and freeze-dried meals anymore.
Astronauts have found many ways of getting a taste of home while they’re orbiting around Earth. Some of these brilliant minds have used their ingenuity to create groundbreaking snacks in space, including hot, individual pizzas.
But what happens when you have a sweet tooth in space? Luckily, any sweet-loving astronauts can finally get a classic chocolate chip cookie that is freshly baked on the station.
DoubleTree by Hilton, famous for handing out freshly baked cookies at its hotels, has sent a specially designed "space oven" and cookie dough to the International Space Station to make the world’s first cookie baked in space.
The oven and ingredients were launched at 9:59 a.m. EST on Saturday, Nov. 2, and reached the station at 4:10 a.m. EST on Monday, Nov. 4, according to the statement.
The launch, which was originally announced back in June, is a collaboration between the hotel chain and Zero G Kitchen, which specialized in designing appliances “for microgravity use in long-duration space flights,” according to the statement by Hilton. Nanoracks, a company that provides commercial access to space, was also part of the project.
Shawn McAteer, senior vice president and global head at DoubleTree by Hilton, said in a statement that the company sent this incredible invention to the station not only to make working in space more “hospitable,” but also to be the first hotel chain to participate in research aboard the ISS.
“We’re thrilled our DoubleTree chocolate chip cookie is sending Hilton hospitality into orbit and contributing to a pivotal moment in aerospace history as we test the outcome of the first food baked in space,” McAteer said.
“What’s so interesting about this is that it will be the first time anything will be baked in space,” said Nanoracks senior internal payloads manager Mary Murphy. “What will the cookies look like? Will they bake out equally in all directions and form a sphere, or stay flat? While we don’t know for sure how the experiment will turn out, we are looking forward to finding out and learning how to best bake food products in space.”
Astronauts will conduct a baking test aboard the ship before the space cookies are sent back to Earth for more assessment. DoubleTree is also sending pre-baked cookies to the space station so astronauts can enjoy some delicious cookies after completing their hard work.
According to the BBC, other companies have sent a number of other items and equipment for space testing, including a radiation vest to test for comfort and wearability, and samples of carbon fiber from sports-car manufacturer Lamborghini to test space exposure.
