Shams El -Mutwalli Dubai

Food company Nissin has redefined the noodle eating experience once more with their space-friendly Cup Noodles, available for astronauts at the International Space Station.

The options available will include Seafood, Curry, Chicken Ramen, U.F.O. Yakisoba, and the Original Cup Noodle.

Nissin will also offer a Curry Rice called Keema Curry Meshi and Hashed Beef Rice called Hayashi Meshi.

Although the taste of the noodles has not changed, the preparation and consumption of the cup noodles has been adjusted to accommodate the environment in space.

The Cup Noodles come with thicker noodles and broth, along with special starches that do not need the standard 100-degree Celsius water and can instead be cooked with water of a lower temperature due to conditions at the ISS.

Aside from preparatory modifications, astronauts must also eat the noodles straight out of the plastic sealed packaging as opposed to the traditional cup.

This is not Nissin’s first journey into space, back in 2005 the company launched Space Ram.

Nissin’s website states that “space food ramen noodles jointly developed by NISSIN FOODS and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)” would “blast off into space aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery” with astronaut Soichi Noguchi.

Space Ram followed “the principle of simple cooking method and long shelf-life. Adjustment was made to suit the dining environment in space,” Nissin’s website noted.

Noguchi is a Japanese engineer and astronaut who ventured into space on 26 July 2005 for NASA’s first “return to flight” Space Shuttle mission.

On the second day of the mission, Noguchi tried and commented on the space noodles, making him the first astronaut to eat instant noodles in space.

“It is amazing that I could eat instant noodles with the same taste as it is on the Earth” Noguchi stated, according to Nissin’s website.

Nissin have outlined that the overall invention of Cup Noodles in space proves that instant noodles are a versatile product constantly aiming to satisfy consumer needs.