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Instant Ramen Inventor Achieves Lifelong Dream: Space Noodles

Momofuku Ando, the inventor of the popular instant ramen noodles and founder of Nissin Food, achieved his lifelong dream earlier this week when the Discovery space shuttle successfully blasted into space carrying some high-tech space noodles. The special space noodles, called Space Ram, went with Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi, who took part in the Discovery mission. Red Nova has more about the noodles.

Nissin Food Products Co. showcased on Wednesday a vacuum packed instant noodle specially designed for Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi to eat during the U.S. space shuttle Discovery's current mission.

"This tastes good," Nissin Food founder and Chairman Momofuku Ando said on eating the "Space Ram" noodles in front of reporters.

"I'm happy I've realized my dream that noodles can go into space," he said.

The company said it has no plan to commercialize the product.

Nissin Food sells ramen noodles here in the U.S. under the Top Ramen and Cup Noodles brands. According to Nissin Foods, Japanese consumers eat approximately 45 portions of ramen, bags and cups combined, each year. In addition, Nissin estimates that U.S. consumers eat 9 portions of ramen each year. The Space Ram noodles were designed specifically for zero gravity according to a Space Daily news report.

Noguchi helped test the early stages of the astro ramen, which astronauts can open and eat normally rather than suck through a tube like other space meals.

The soup is thick enough to prevent spilling, Nissin said, while the noodle balls retain their shape after being re-heated.

Boiling water is not used in space so Space Ram can be heated with water of 70 degrees Celsius (160 Fahrenheit), thanks to a unique blend of flour and starch, it said.

News reports did not indicate whether Soichi Noguchi would share the Space Ram noodles with his fellow astronauts.

Posted on July 30, 2005

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