How to eat and drink in space? Shubhanshu Shukla explains
What's the story
Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian to visit the International Space Station (ISS), has shared a video detailing his eating habits in microgravity. He emphasized the importance of being mindful while consuming food and drink in space. "Food in space. Never thought I would have to learn to eat again," he captioned his post on social media platform X.
Twitter Post
Take a look at the clip
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… pic.twitter.com/ZxVtqaM8Jz
— Shubhanshu Shukla (@gagan_shux) September 2, 2025
Dining tips
'Slow is fast'
Shukla stressed the importance of habits when eating in space, saying that without caution, one could easily create a mess. He also shared his mantra for anything in space: "Slow is fast." The astronaut further clarified that digestion doesn't require gravity. "A process called 'peristalsis' is responsible for digestion which is gravity independent," he said, explaining how muscles contract and relax to push food down through the digestive tract.
Zero-G eating
Video goes viral, sparks interest on social media
In his video, Shukla demonstrated how food and drink are consumed in microgravity. He showed that all items are secured with Velcro to stop them from floating away. While sipping coffee, he joked about the unique experience of eating water in space. The video sparked a lot of interest on social media, with many praising Shukla for his efforts to make science accessible.
Mission details
Shukla's ISS mission and return to India
Shukla recently returned to India after an 18-day mission on the ISS as part of the Axiom-4 crew. He had previously shared insights about how astronauts sleep in space and even left a message for his wife before leaving.