Space shuttle astronauts used a device like this in the crew cabin middeck to prepare their meals. Instead of typical kitchen appliances, their galley had only a water dispenser to rehydrate dried foods, a low-temperature oven to warm food packages, and a timer. Adding ounces of hot or cold water to dried foods made tasty beverages, breakfast items, soups, entrees, vegetables, and desserts. Pre-cooked packaged foods were warmed in slots between heated panels in the oven. For efficiency, astronauts snipped the packages open with scissors and ate directly from them without needing plates and bowls. Condiments and other small items were kept nearby, attached to the blue Velcro strips. Shuttle crew members took turns preparing meals for the group in this compact “kitchen.”

The galley is called “repackaged” because it is more compact than the original version to save space and weight on the shuttle. This one may be the test unit used for crew training. NASA transferred this galley to the Museum after the space shuttle program ended in 2012.