How many steps does it take to roast chicken wings in space?

How many steps does it take to roast chicken wings in space? Three steps. Step one, put the chicken wings in. Step two, roast them. Step three, take the roasted chicken wings out.

Is that all? Yes, just those few steps.

But don't think it's that simple. For just these few steps, it took humanity over half a century from our first journeys into space to actually activating an "oven" inside the space module. So today, let's talk about just how difficult it really is to have a "BBQ" in space.

On Earth, the easiest way is just to toss the wings into an oven. When the oven's electric heating tubes heat the air below, the hot air rises due to its lower density, while the denser, cooler air above sinks at the same time. This back-and-forth creates an air circulation called "thermal convection," which wraps the heat evenly around each chicken wing. In just a dozen minutes, the wings turn crispy outside, tender inside and exude an inviting fragrance.

In the microgravity environment of space, however, there is no distinction between "up" and "down," nor the concepts of "light" and "heavy." The heated air loses its "sense of direction" and just lazily lingers near the heat source. The result is that the roasted chicken wings become a true "culinary disaster"—the side touching the heating tubes burns black, while the other side stays raw!

Besides that, another challenge is cooking oil fume. When exposed to high heat, grease breaks down and generates large amounts of oil fume particles. These particles spread throughout the space station and may clog air filters in the life support system, triggering a full system breakdown. Toxic substances within the fumes also pose a direct threat to the astronauts' health.

So, how does the "hot-air roaster" on the Chinese Space Station overcome these challenges?

First, to address the problem of disappearing thermal convection, its solution is "forced circulation." Since hot air is "too lazy" to move in space, engineers installed precision fans and air ducts inside the oven to drive hot air to circulate evenly and rapidly, simulating the convection effect we have on Earth. This allows the heat to envelop every side of the food, achieving efficient and uniform heating.

Second, to counter the "deadly threat" of cooking oil fumes, the solution scientists devised was to build a "range hood" directly into the oven. Once the oil fumes are captured by this "range hood," "high-temperature catalysis” is first applied to decompose toxic organic compounds in the fumes into harmless carbon dioxide and water. Next, it passes through multiple layers of filters to completely remove solid particles from the oil fumes, such as PM2.5. Finally, only clean air is allowed to return to the oven to participate in the heating cycle.

So, when we ask again, "How many steps does it take to roast chicken wings in space?"

The answer remains those three steps.

But behind these three steps lies humanity's ingenious struggle against the laws of physics — a relentless pursuit to carry a little whiff of Earth’s cooking smoke into the silent starry void.

From squeezing food out of toothpaste-style tubes to now patiently waiting for a slow-roasted dinner in space, this "cooking heart," buried deep within the technology, is growing right alongside the spirit of exploration itself.

Review Expert: Zhou Binghong