SSR Pack

When people think about eating while travelling, especially in or under austere conditions, they think of one thing. SSR Packs. The Space Standard Ration Pack was developed in the early years of stellar exploration, with the simple goal of creating nutrient dense food that took up minimal space, had minimal mass, and that actually tasted good. The final design came from a French and Chinese collaboration, and took the art and science of molecular gastonomy to levels that were previously unheard of. In the centuries since, the original manufacturers have gone out of business, but now dozens of companies offer their own takes on these tough and delicious meal packs, with sales coming from all areas of life, government, and industry.

Mechanics & Inner Workings

An SSR Pack is a 24 hour ration. A small square, it has multiple sections that contain the following:

• 3 main meals
• 1 desert
• 1 snack

The ration is opened one section at a time, and is contained in a durable polymer material. It comes with a flat spoon. The food inside is brightly coloured, and remains on the cutting edge of molecular gastromony. It's nutrient dense, and a full pack, if eaten, provides 10500 Kj of energy (the average amount needed by a human to get through a moderate day). It also contains all the vitamins and minerals needed for health.
Each SSR Pack comes with instructions for preparation with heat, water, or heat and water, but all can be eaten "dry"as well. What's remarkable about them is that they look like separated extruded pastes, but they all have distinct textures and flavour profiles that range from simple to deeply complex. There's still regular competitions to create new formulas and recipes, so people who rely on SSR Packs are seldom lacking for menu variety.
The packaging for an SSR Pack is an amazing feat of engineering. The polymer pack is resistant to 1200C and ones recovered from the vacuum of space have been edible. The polymer case is well labeled, usually in two to three languages depending on the manufacturer. Each compartment can be opened individually and resealed, although doing so does mean that part of the ration should be consumed within 48 hours.

History

Stellar exploration during the Eight Moons Era put serious pressure on engineers, and every millimetre of space and microgram of weight was crucial to account for. Existing rations were far to bulky or lacked long term feasibility for explorers to eat. No one wanted to eat rehydrated freeze dried peas and rice for months and early testing saw severe drops in terms of mental health. As a promotional stunt, the collective space agencies of Earth created a competition to create a better ration. Five years after it started,it ended ended with a resounding victory by a team of molecular gastonomy master chefs from France who partnered with a cutting edge food preservation and shipping company from China. The Aubert-Keung Group, using combined knowledge and extensive field testing, created a near perfect ration pack. It was small, lightweight, met the nutritional needs of people, could last for decades, and people actually liked them. A lot.
For millions of humans, they became staples while agriculture and other food creation facilities were built and brought up to speed. And when they were no longer the main source of food, they became popular as emergency supplies, for hiking and camping, quick meals, and as a way to stretch fresh food budgets. While the Aubert-Keung Group has long disappeared into the dust of history, their invention continues to delight and aid humanity.

Significance

The SSR Pack has been argued as being as important to the development and expansion of terran civilization as the development of agriculture. Without a ration that met all the criteria the SSR Pack did, it's doubtful that terrans would have made it into the stars at the rate they did, or that the colonies they established would have stabilized as quickly.

Item type

Consumable, Food / Drink

Rarity

SSR Packs are common. Most homes keep a few around in case of emergencies, and they're available from small shops, grocery stores, outdoor suppliers, and surplus stores. They're so ubuquitous that vehicles often have a spot to hold one and a 500ml bottle of water.

Weight

300g to 500g

Dimensions

15cmx5cmx15cm (length, height, width)

Base Price

20 UC to 100 UC (quality and make dependent)

Raw materials & Components

Food product. Fibre, proteins, vegetable matter, and more are broken down, retextured, fortified, and then packed into an intensely durable polymer container.

Tools

SSR Packs manufacturing is part mad science food lab and part industrial fabrication. It's the ultimate in processed food, and requires expertise and skills from about a dozen areas.