Apollo water dispenser

This water dispenser, designed by the Whirlpool Corporation, was used for training sessions prior to the Apollo missions. It is made of stainless steel and was designed to dispense measured amounts of hot or cold water into the food containers.

Feeding the astronauts a nutritious diet was of paramount importance, but problems associated with storage and dispensing had to be overcome. Due to space and weight considerations, food had to be lightweight and have the ability to be compressed when possible. For the early missions, it also had to be stored without refrigeration and have the ability to be eaten under weightless conditions.

Each Apollo crew member was provided with three meals per day which provided approximately 2,800 calories. The food was freeze-dried and was easily reconstituted by the astronaut with a water probe, which dispensed one half ounce of hot or cold water as required each time the trigger button was pressed. These rehydratable foods also had an 8-quinolinol sulfate tablet attached to reduce spoilage in the used food wraps.

Transferred to the National Air and Space Museum from NASA in 1978