
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.
They may not have all the fixins, but the astronauts aboard China's Tiangong space station are sure eating well.
A new oven delivered to Tiangong has been put to quick work by the six people currently living aboard the outpost, the astronauts of the Shenzhou 20 and Shenzhou 21 missions.
In a video released by the Astronaut Center of China (ACC), the space station crew is seen securing a set of chicken wings in a specially made grill cage and placing it in a small, cabinet-like compartment in the space station's wall.
The oven not only serves as a powerful technology demonstration for the microgravity microwave (which actually functions more like an air fryer), but it also provides a welcome flavor of home for the astronauts living aboard the station.
Kang Guohua, a senior member of the Chinese Society of Astronautics and a professor of aerospace engineering at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, told Chinese state media that comforts such as hot meals are important to keep crews psychologically "grounded."
According to the ACC, the oven operates without stressing Tiangong's power grid and is designed to provide consistent and smokeless baking conditions in the station's microgravity environment. Such conditions are necessary aboard orbital outposts like Tiangong and the International Space Station (ISS), which rely on strictly maintained life support systems and rigorous fire safety protocols.
Cooking in microgravity differs from cooking something here on Earth. The sweet spot for the chicken wings was 28 minutes inside their enclosed grill container. Some peppered steak was also prepared for Shenzhou 20 Commander Chen Dong, according to a report from the Global Times, a tabloid owned by the state-run People's Daily.
The Global Times compared the cooking milestone to one notched aboard the ISS in 2019, when NASA astronauts baked cookies in space using a prototype Zero G oven. That test showed that baking things in orbit (at least cookies) takes longer than it does on Earth. But China's oven, unlike the temporary Zero G oven used aboard the ISS, is there to stay. The device has been integrated into Tiangong's systems and certified for up to 500 uses.
The Shenzhou 21 crew launched to Tiangong on Oct. 31 and will remain aboard Tiangong for roughly six months. The trio is relieving the Shenzhou 20 astronauts, who have been living aboard the station since April and will return to Earth on Nov. 5.
LATEST POSTS
- 1
‘The White Lotus’ sparked online interest in risky anxiety pills, study says - 2
5 High Limit Outer Hard Drives For Information Stockpiling - 3
Scientists dove hundreds of feet into the ocean and found creatures no human has ever seen. Our trash beat us there - 4
Could the Star of Bethlehem have actually been a comet? - 5
Trying to improve your health and wellness in 2026? Keep it simple
'All Her Fault' ending explained: The shocking conclusion to the psychological thriller inspired by true events
Astronauts beam home Christmas wishes from International Space Station: 'I think we may be orbiting a little higher than Santa' (video)
5 Critical Rules For Business Regulation Chiefs
Fire Allegedly Triggered by Wedding Cake Sparkler Causes Venue to Go Up in Flames, Leaving Groom with Second-Degree Burns
From record warming to rusting rivers, 2025 Arctic Report Card shows a region transforming faster than expected
James Webb Space Telescope discovers a lemon-shaped exoplanet unlike anything seen before: 'What the heck is this?'
SpaceX launches Starlink missions in dual-coast spaceflight doubleheader (videos)
Fundamental Home Items Each Animal person Needs
Easter Island quarry reveals how Polynesians made enigmatic stone statues













