First Cookies Baked in Space Took Much Longer than on Earth

 

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) recently tested an oven¹ they used to bake five chocolate chip cookies.

We now know the results of that experiment: the cookies took a lot longer to bake in space than on Earth.

The cookies that came out best required two hours of baking time inside the International Space Station. The baking time for cookies on Earth is generally only about 20 minutes.

The cookies returned to Earth earlier this month aboard a SpaceX-built spacecraft that splashed² down in the Pacific Ocean. The cookies are the first food baked in space from raw food materials. They remain frozen³ in a laboratory⁴ in Houston, Texas.

The American company Nanoracks designed and built the cookie oven. Hilton DoubleTree hotels supplied the cookie dough⁵.

The makers⁶ of the oven did expect some difference in the baking time in space, but they were surprised that that difference was so large.

"There's still a lot to look into to figure out really what's driving that difference, but definitely⁷ a cool result," said Mary Murphy. She is with the company Nanoracks, which is based in Texas.

Murphy said the baking results will continue to be examined in order to better understand why space baking took so much longer. In addition, researchers will study the effectiveness of the baking tray⁸, which was designed to work in microgravity conditions.

The five chocolate chip cookies were frozen when they were sent to space. Each had to be baked separately in the oven.

Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano took charge of the baking experiment in December. He reported that the first cookie stayed in the oven for 25 minutes at 149 degrees Celsius⁹. When it came out of the oven, it was seriously under-baked.

For the next two cookies, Parmitano more than doubled the baking time. Those cookies came out better, but were still under-baked.

The fourth cookie stayed in the oven for two hours, after which Parmitano was able to report success. "I can't tell you whether it's cooked all the way or not, but it certainly doesn't look like cookie dough anymore," he reported to controllers back on Earth.

For the fifth cookie, Parmitano turned the oven temperature up to 163 degrees Celsius and baked it for 130 minutes. This time, he reported the best baking results.

No one has tasted the space-traveling cookies just yet. Organizers of the experiment say additional¹⁰ testing will need be carried out to determine whether they are safe to eat.

Words in This Story

aboard – adv. on something

raw – adj. not cooked

dough – n. a mixture of flour and liquid used to make foods that are then baked

figure out – v. to decide something after thinking about it

definitely – adv. without any doubt

tray – n. a flat object used for holding or carrying things

certainly – adv. without a doubt

1 oven   

n.烤炉；烤箱

参考例句：

• You put food inside an oven to cook it.你把食物放进烤箱里热一下。
• She baked bread in an oven.她用烤炉烤面包。

2 splashed   

v.使（液体）溅起( splash的过去式和过去分词 )；（指液体）溅落

参考例句：

• Water splashed onto the floor. 水哗的一声泼洒在地板上。
• The cowboy splashed his way across the shallow stream with his cow. 牧童牵着牛淌过浅溪。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 frozen   

adj.冻结的，冰冻的

参考例句：

• He was frozen to death on a snowing night.在一个风雪的晚上，他被冻死了。
• The weather is cold and the ground is frozen.天寒地冻。

4 laboratory   

n.实验室，化验室

参考例句：

• She has donated money to establish a laboratory.她捐款成立了一个实验室。
• Our laboratory equipment isn't perfect,but we must make do.实验室设备是不够理想，但我们只好因陋就简。

5 dough   

n.生面团；钱，现款

参考例句：

• She formed the dough into squares.她把生面团捏成四方块。
• The baker is kneading dough.那位面包师在揉面。

6 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 definitely   

adv.一定地，肯定地；明确地，确切地

参考例句：

• The team will definitely lose if he doesn't play.如果他不参加比赛，这个队肯定会输。
• I shall definitely be home before six o'clock.6点以前，我一定回家。

8 tray   

n.盘，托盘，碟

参考例句：

• There were two glasses of champagne on the tray.托盘里有两杯香槟酒。
• A waitress came in,carrying tea on a tray.一名女侍者走进来，手端放着茶的托盘。

9 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

10 additional   

adj.添加的，额外的，另外的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to set down these additional rules.有必要制定这些补充规则。
• I think we can fit in an additional room.我想我们可以再加建一间房子。