METHOD FOR ALIMENTATION OF ASTRONAUTS TAKING PART IN GROUND-BASED SIMULATION IMITATING MARS MISSION Russian patent published in 2011 - IPC A23L1/48 

FIELD: food industry.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to food industry and deals with special purpose alimentation. The method envisages 3 stages. At the 1^st stage (from the 1^st to 250^th day) imitating a mission to the Mars one arranges 5-meal alimentation consisting of semi-products of ready courses with breakfast caloric content 19-21 %, dinner caloric content 29-31%, supper caloric content 29-31 % and two intermediary meals each with caloric content 9-11 % of daily caloric content of diurnal alimentation. At 2^nd stage (from 251^st to 280^th day) imitating an Mars orbital mission and landing on its surface one arranges two modes of alimentation, one of them is intended for the group of astronauts imitating landing and operation on the Mars surface and includes 4-meal alimentation with breakfast caloric content 19-21%, 2^nd breakfast caloric content 14-16%, dinner caloric content 34-36% and supper caloric content 29-31% of daily caloric content of diurnal alimentation. For this group one uses preserved products ready-for-use without thermal treatment, first courses reconditionable with hot water, and hot beverages. At the 3^st stage (from 281^st to 520^th day) imitating a mission to the Earth one arranges 4-meal alimentation consisting of freeze-dried ready courses with breakfast caloric content 24-26%, dinner caloric content 34-36%, supper caloric content 24-26% and an intermediary meal with caloric content 14-16% of daily caloric content of diurnal alimentation. At the 2^nd stage, for the remaining astronauts imitating the Mars orbital mission, one arranges alimentation analogous to that envisaged at the 3^rd stage.

EFFECT: invention of a method for astronauts alimentation under free-flying conditions, with application of a preset energy value diet preserving biological full-value and microbiological safety during the whole of the simulation term with no possibility of the food stock replenishment taking onto account various stages of astronauts vital functions during a mission to the Mars, such alimentation envisaging usage of food products serially produced for mass consumption.