First Cookies Baked in Space Took Much Longer than on Earth
2020-01-31
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1Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) recently tested an oven they used to bake five chocolate chip cookies.
2We now know the results of that experiment: the cookies took a lot longer to bake in space than on Earth.
3The cookies that came out best required two hours of baking time inside the International Space Station.
4The baking time for cookies on Earth is generally only about 20 minutes.
5The cookies returned to Earth earlier this month aboard a SpaceX-built spacecraft that splashed down in the Pacific Ocean.
6The cookies are the first food baked in space from raw food materials.
7They remain frozen in a laboratory in Houston, Texas.
8The American company Nanoracks designed and built the cookie oven.
9Hilton DoubleTree hotels supplied the cookie dough.
10The makers of the oven did expect some difference in the baking time in space, but they were surprised that that difference was so large.
11"There's still a lot to look into to figure out really what's driving that difference, but definitely a cool result," said Mary Murphy.
12She is with the company Nanoracks, which is based in Texas.
13Murphy said the baking results will continue to be examined in order to better understand why space baking took so much longer.
14In addition, researchers will study the effectiveness of the baking tray, which was designed to work in microgravity conditions.
15The five chocolate chip cookies were frozen when they were sent to space.
16Each had to be baked separately in the oven.
17Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano took charge of the baking experiment in December.
18He reported that the first cookie stayed in the oven for 25 minutes at 149 degrees Celsius.
19When it came out of the oven, it was seriously under-baked.
20For the next two cookies, Parmitano more than doubled the baking time.
21Those cookies came out better, but were still under-baked.
22The fourth cookie stayed in the oven for two hours, after which Parmitano was able to report success.
23"I can't tell you whether it's cooked all the way or not, but it certainly doesn't look like cookie dough anymore," he reported to controllers back on Earth.
24For the fifth cookie, Parmitano turned the oven temperature up to 163 degrees Celsius and baked it for 130 minutes.
25This time, he reported the best baking results.
26No one has tasted the space-traveling cookies just yet.
27Organizers of the experiment say additional testing will need be carried out to determine whether they are safe to eat.
28I'm Bryan Lynn.
1Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) recently tested an oven they used to bake five chocolate chip cookies. 2We now know the results of that experiment: the cookies took a lot longer to bake in space than on Earth. 3The cookies that came out best required two hours of baking time inside the International Space Station. The baking time for cookies on Earth is generally only about 20 minutes. 4The cookies returned to Earth earlier this month aboard a SpaceX-built spacecraft that splashed down in the Pacific Ocean. The cookies are the first food baked in space from raw food materials. They remain frozen in a laboratory in Houston, Texas. 5The American company Nanoracks designed and built the cookie oven. Hilton DoubleTree hotels supplied the cookie dough. 6The makers of the oven did expect some difference in the baking time in space, but they were surprised that that difference was so large. 7"There's still a lot to look into to figure out really what's driving that difference, but definitely a cool result," said Mary Murphy. She is with the company Nanoracks, which is based in Texas. 8Murphy said the baking results will continue to be examined in order to better understand why space baking took so much longer. In addition, researchers will study the effectiveness of the baking tray, which was designed to work in microgravity conditions. 9The five chocolate chip cookies were frozen when they were sent to space. Each had to be baked separately in the oven. 10Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano took charge of the baking experiment in December. He reported that the first cookie stayed in the oven for 25 minutes at 149 degrees Celsius. When it came out of the oven, it was seriously under-baked. 11For the next two cookies, Parmitano more than doubled the baking time. Those cookies came out better, but were still under-baked. 12The fourth cookie stayed in the oven for two hours, after which Parmitano was able to report success. "I can't tell you whether it's cooked all the way or not, but it certainly doesn't look like cookie dough anymore," he reported to controllers back on Earth. 13For the fifth cookie, Parmitano turned the oven temperature up to 163 degrees Celsius and baked it for 130 minutes. This time, he reported the best baking results. 14No one has tasted the space-traveling cookies just yet. Organizers of the experiment say additional testing will need be carried out to determine whether they are safe to eat. 15I'm Bryan Lynn. 16The Associated Press reported this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English, with additional information from a press release. Ashley Thompson was the editor. 17We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. 18_____________________________________________________________ 19Words in This Story 20aboard - adv. on something 21raw - adj. not cooked 22dough - n. a mixture of flour and liquid used to make foods that are then baked 23figure out - v. to decide something after thinking about it 24definitely - adv. without any doubt 25tray - n. a flat object used for holding or carrying things 26certainly - adv. without a doubt