Water Dispenser, Apollo 9

This water dispenser was part of the equipment carried aboard Apollo 9. 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.Transferred to the Museum from NASA in 1973.