In Space, You Can Eat Water — Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla Explains Why
In Space, You Can Eat Water — Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla Explains Why
English can be confusing. You can drink a drink, but you can’t food a food. In space, though, the rules change — and according to Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, you can actually “eat” water.
Shukla, the first Indian astronaut to visit the International Space Station (ISS) and only the second Indian in space, recently returned from an 18-day mission with the Axiom-4 crew. Among the highlights of his trip is a video that shows what eating and drinking look like in microgravity, and it has fascinated viewers across the world.
“Food in space. Never thought I would have to learn to eat again,” Shukla said while demonstrating the quirks of dining aboard the ISS. “If you are not mindful you can easily create a mess. Solid mantra that works for anything in space: ‘Slow is Fast.’”
On the ISS, nothing stays put unless it’s strapped, zipped, or Velcroed. Shukla shows food packets and utensils clipped in place so they don’t float away. He drinks coffee from a pouch but also demonstrates the strangest part: in orbit, water forms into floating blobs, and the only way to consume it is to slurp it straight out of the air before it drifts off.
The video isn’t just about visuals. Shukla also breaks down the science behind digestion in space, clearing up the myth that gravity is essential.
“We don’t need gravity to digest food,” he explained. “A process called peristalsis pushes food through the digestive tract using muscle contractions. Head up, head down, gravity or no gravity — your body will digest food.”
For many viewers, the clip was more than entertainment. Some admired how clearly Shukla explained complex science, while others were simply amazed at the sight of floating coffee and water behaving like jelly blobs. His videos, which also include how astronauts sleep and personal moments shared before his journey, have made space science relatable and exciting for people back on Earth.
In space, every simple task becomes a challenge. And as Shukla shows, sometimes the only way to move forward is by going slow. After all, in orbit, you really can eat a drink.
