Delhi: Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian to travel to the International Space Station (ISS) and the second Indian to venture into space, has offered a glimpse into daily life beyond Earth. In a video shared recently, he revealed the unusual yet fascinating ways astronauts manage their meals while floating in zero gravity.

Eating in zero gravity

“Food in space. Never thought I would have to learn to eat again. Here I am explaining why habits matter when you are eating in space. If you are not mindful you can easily create a mess and you don’t want to be that guy. Solid mantra that works for anything in space ‘Slow is Fast’,” Shukla wrote while sharing the video.

The astronaut highlighted how meals have to be handled with extreme care. In the clip, he demonstrates that everything, including food packets and utensils, is attached with Velcro so that nothing floats away. He is also seen sipping coffee as liquid globules hover around him, joking, “You can eat water in space,” before signing off with his message about “food in space.”

Digestion beyond earth

Shukla also addressed a common question: how the human body digests food without gravity. He explained, “Other interesting fact is we don’t need gravity to digest food. A process called ‘peristalsis’ is responsible for digestion which is gravity independent. It is the contraction and relaxation of muscles to push food down through the digestive tract. Head up or head down, gravity or no gravity your body will always digest food. Bon appetit.”

Returning home after mission

Shukla recently completed his 18-day mission to the ISS as part of the Axiom-4 crew. After the successful journey, he has now returned to India from the United States.