Hyderabad-based NIN helps plan diet for Gaganyaan astronauts

Senior NIN nutritionists have collaborated with multiple research groups across the country to meet the nutritional requirements of the first Indian astronaut crew that will be part of the Indian Human Spaceflight Programme

Hyderabad: When three Indian astronauts reach an orbit of 400 km for the three-day Gaganyaan space mission next year, a few scientists back home in Hyderabad will be mighty pleased with their contribution in keeping the first Indian spacefarers gastronomically happy.

The crew members of Gaganyaan might be far from Earth during India’s first human mission programme but they definitely will feel at home while consuming nutritious Indian food, developed exclusively for them by a research group of top Indian scientists, which will also include senior researchers from Hyderabad-based National Institute of Nutrition (NIN).

---

Senior NIN nutritionists have collaborated with multiple research groups across the country to meet the nutritional requirements of the first Indian astronaut crew that will be part of the Indian Human Spaceflight Programme.

A few days ago, a MoU to work on the nutritional requirements of astronauts was signed between NIN Director Dr R Hemalatha and Director R Mohan of the Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC), an arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), which is spearheading the Gaganyaan mission-2024.

Senior officials familiar with the programme said worldwide when in space, astronauts usually depend on pre-packaged food to meet their nutritional requirements. The stress is to ensure that the food menus available to the Indian astronauts not only meet their energy requirements but also be culturally relevant to the Indian taste and do not make them homesick.

As a part of this initiative, the Defence Food Research Laboratory (DFRL) in Mysuru is collaborating with top research institutions, including NIN, to design a menu that will meet all nutritional requirements of the Indian astronauts on board Gaganyaan.

The research group of nutritionists from NIN, DFRL and other top-class research organisations are working on developing a balanced diet comprising ready-to-eat items such as idli-sambar and a proper Indian thali, which are rehydrated but at the same time do not lose its nutritious value and taste.