The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration () has revealed the astronauts’ menu for the long-awaited mission around the Moon.
NASA says the crew will be treated to surprisingly fancy dishes.
Early astronauts could only dream of meals like this
Before people started spending long stretches in low Earth orbit, space food was pretty grim. The first onboard fare included a tube of liver-and-beef paste and a chocolate sauce for dessert.
“John Glenn, the first American to eat something in near-weightlessness in Earth orbit, thought the act of eating was fairly simple, but the menu was limited,” said.
“Mercury program astronauts had to make do with bite-sized cubes, freeze-dried powders and semi-liquid foods packed into aluminum tubes. Most agreed the food wasn’t appetizing, and they disliked squeezing the tubes to get the contents out. Freeze-dried foods were hard to rehydrate, and crews had to take care that crumbs didn’t contaminate instruments,” the agency explained.
The problem usually came down to a lack of equipment in space, IFLScience reported.
Because of those constraints, NASA said all meals must be carefully selected to remain safe, have a long shelf life, and be simple to prepare and eat aboard the Orion spacecraft. The foods also have to produce minimal crumbs.
Crumbs were a recurring problem. They would float into sensitive equipment or even into astronauts’ lungs.
Artemis II crew members conduct food testing (1)
Here’s what Artemis II astronauts will eat
Astronauts can choose up to two different-flavored beverages per day. Options include coffee, green tea, mango and peach smoothies, breakfast drinks in chocolate, strawberry, vanilla and pineapple flavors, lemonade, apple cider and hot cocoa.
Among the tested food items that Artemis II astronauts will take aboard the spacecraft are barbecue beef brisket, mac and cheese, roasted broccoli, spicy green beans, a vegetable quiche, couscous with nuts, blueberry granola, sausages, and 58 tortillas and wheat flatbreads.
Mission food planners also included five kinds of hot sauce, mustard, jam, honey, and peanut and almond oil.
Astronauts will be able to use a briefcase-sized food warmer.
Last month, the Artemis II launch was postponed because of a helium feed problem in the upper-stage engine. The agency said engineers determined that a seal in a quick-disconnect fitting was blocking helium flow from ground systems into the rocket. The fixes are now nearly complete.
NASA is preparing to roll the rocket back to the launch pad later this month. Possible launch dates are April 1, April 3–6, or April 30.
Photo: NASA
