Astronauts aboard China’s Tiangong space station have successfully grilled chicken wings and steaks in a microgravity environment for the first time.
The space barbecue was made possible by a new type of oven that allows smokeless and residue-free cooking in orbit.
A video of the feat shows the astronauts placing chicken wings in a cage and placing it in a hatch that is about the same size as an air fryer.
“It’s the first oven of its kind in the world that can actually be used aboard a space station,” said Liu Weibo, a deputy chief designer at the China Astronaut Research and Training Centre.
“By raising the temperature to 190 degrees Celsius, astronauts can now really cook in orbit. Previous food heating is purely physical warming, but this is actual cooking, with chemical reactions included. The food can now come out golden and crispy.”
Astronaut Wu Fei described the freshly-cooked chicken wings as having “the perfect colour, aroma and flavour.”
The oven can be used to bake cakes, roast peanuts or grill meat, according to China’s space agency, allowing astronauts to enjoy “special meals” on weekends or holidays.
The cooking device is part of a broader effort to improve the living conditions for astronauts on long-duration missions, who currently live on freeze-dried and reheatable food.
On the International Space Station (ISS), all food is precooked or processed, so can be prepared by adding water or warming up.
Fresh fruit and vegetables are delivered during resupply missions, however they need to be eaten within a few days to avoid spoiling.
China’s space station is also capable of cultivating lettuce, tomatoes and potatoes, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA), which can all be used to cook in the new space oven.
“We used high-temperature catalysis and multi-layer filtration technologies to enable smoke-free baking,” said Xuan Yong, a researcher at the China Astronaut Research and Training Centre.
“Given the special conditions in orbit, we have made sure that the hot air oven is completely reliable and safe. Every part of the oven that astronauts might touch remains cool so as to prevent burns.”
