Despite the closing of a student-oriented ISU space program, many hands-on learning opportunities may not be lost.

The NASA Food Technology Commercial Space Center worked for six years with 34 companies that contributed to developing food items to send into space.

Tony Pometto, professor of food science and human nutrition and former space center director, said the center closed because NASA has been making budget cuts in preparation for its next mission to the moon.

“They are really trying to invest any money they can into vehicle development,” Pometto said.

Pometto said faculty members at the space center have found new jobs since the closing. The program closed on Dec. 30, but students will still be able to engage in space food research.

Lester Wilson and Cheryll Reitmeier, professors of food science and human nutrition, taught an honors class during spring 2005 called “Food for Space Exploration,” which may be offered again next fall.

“I’m writing up the proposal right now for the course for fall,” Wilson said.

“It was well-received and I was asked to do it again.”

Wilson said the content of the course has previously been about the history of space food, challenges of crop production on the moon and Mars and the process involved with making space food.

“We are trying to give the students this opportunity of what’s been going on,” Wilson said.

Reitmeier said Wilson has a lot of experience from the Johnson Space Center in Houston, working on soy and tofu processing for planetary outposts.

The course was encouraged by Pometto.

Some scientists are researching how to produce food in high and low gravity situations, and the center was a learning tool to get students involved in the process.

Reitmeier said most of the students who took the class were not majoring in food science and human nutrition, but other related fields.

Students taking the class were able to create their own food items that could be used in space.

“The highlight of the semester was that they selected foods and then freeze-dried the foods,” Reitmeier said.

“Tortillas are one of the products that have become popular in space.”

Pometto said the space center held a product development competition for students nationwide.

Students had to design a food product for space missions. They were given a list of crops that could be grown in space, and products had to be easy to prepare with a long shelf life.

The winner of the competition was allowed to present their food product to NASA.

The center had many breakthroughs while it was open, including a thermally-stabilized yogurt with a two-year shelf life that does not need refrigeration. Pometto said this yogurt has been used by the military.