Food Tray, Space Shuttle

The Space Shuttle did not have a table for crew meals. Instead, the astronauts placed their food containers on a tray, strapped it to one of their legs, and then fiound a place to anchor themselves while they ate. This tray is an early design that had tracks and cavities to hold the food containers and a magnet to hold the utensils in place. A later tray had a smooth surface and strips of Velcro to lock Velcro-backed food containers in place. The tray is a small example of the big challenges of doing normal tasks, like eating, in weightlessness. NASA transferred this tray and a variety of Shuttle foods to the Museum in the 1980s.