April 4, 2005

Astronauts will talk about food in space as part of symposium

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A food in space convocation will take place April 14 in the Class of 1950 Lecture Hall, Room 224, on the Purdue University campus.

The 28th annual event promoting food science is free and open to the public. The convocation will run from 6:30-9 p.m. Refreshments will be provided.

Speakers for the event will be Jerry Ross, NASA astronaut and chief for the vehicle integration test team; Karen Ross, manager of food processing and product support of the United Space Alliance at the NASA/Johnson Space Center; and Michele Perchonok, advanced food scientist at the NASA/Johnson Space Center.

Jerry Ross will speak about space flight and his experiences in space. Foods prepared for microgravity environments will be discussed by Karen Ross. Perchonok will discuss how food science plays a part in making long space missions possible.

"Food science is applicable to a variety of fields," said Nicole Castrale, a member of the Food Science Club. Castrale said that attendees will gain a better understanding and insight about the different roles the food sciences play.

The Food Science Club and Purdue's NASA Specialized Center of Research and Training focused on Advanced Life Support, ALS/NSCORT, are sponsoring the event. The ALS/NSCORT center supports a five-year, $10 million research program designed to resolve the requirements of sustained human survival within an interplanetary space-based environment.

Writer: Julie Douglas, (765) 494-8402, agnews-stories@purdue.edu

Source: Nicole Castrale, (765) 418-2962, ncastral@purdue.edu

Ag Communications: (765) 494-2722; Beth Forbes, forbes@purdue.edu
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