Smithsonian Displays Space-Baked Cookie That Was Preserved From ISS

The National Air and Space Museum displayed the world's first-ever baked good from space, almost five years after it was preserved on the International Space Station (ISS).

The chocolate chip cookie was made in a specially designed microgravity oven on the ISS in November 2019.

Smithsonian Lands Space-Baked Cookie on Display From ISS

The space cookie made its debut at the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia on May 8. The cookie was made from the familiar DoubleTree by Hilton's cookie.

According to Jennifer Levasseur, museum creator at the Smithsonian, the baked cookie still smells the same as if it was freshly made. "I wish that the smell test could be available to everybody," she added.

Intriguing as it is, the museum will not allow others to take a whiff at the space-baked cookie as it would attract moisture and eventually mold. The Smithsonian preserved the cookie using a custom-built enclosure, along with a silicon sleeve in a pure nitrogen environment.

NASA Successfully Brings Product From ISS Oven

Three organizations have partnered together to develop an oven that could function in the space station. It must be able to operate in a microgravity environment. The Zero G Oven is part of the Zero-G Kitchen startup.

To produce the baked good in space, the special oven used electric heating elements around a cylindrical chamber. The heated air will surround the food at the center so that it will be cooked. The same silicon sleeve on the display is the original pouch that was used by ISS to maintain the dough in one place.

The researchers took several tries to bake the perfect cookie as they had to figure out the appropriate time and temperature to get the best result. The cookie was delivered to the museum in dry ice and had undergone defrosting.