@ApolloPlus40 - Tangtastic space food
Astronaut food has been a hot topic since its earliest days, when the tangerine-flavored drink Tang was the astronaut's beverage of choice. The Apollo crews had hot water, a luxury they could only dream about on the Mercury missions, when astronauts had to squeeze food from tubes, or the Gemini missions, when they ate bite-sized, gel-covered cubes of food.
The Apollo 11 astronauts would be the first to eat on another planetary body. A breathless headline in the Benton Harbour, Michigan News-Palladium declared that "Moon Spacemen Won't Eat Green Cheese." The article explained that local industry was providing the first Moon meal:
"Their first scheduled meal to be eaten on the moon will consist of bacon squares, peaches, sugar cookie cubes, pineapple grapefruit drink and coffee. The second meal will contain beef stew, cream of chicken soup, date fruitcake, grape punch and orange drink. In addition to the meals, other snack items such as dried fruit, candy, extra beverages, wet packs, sandwich spread, and bread will be included.Unlike other missions, Apollo 11 will carry pre-planned menus for only the first five days of the flight. For the duration of the flight, the astronauts may select individual food items from a pantry. Pantry items are foods which are not assembled by means but merely packaged in categories such as Desserts, Beverages, Breakfast Items, Bite-size Cubes and Salads and Meats. The pantry system enables the astronaut to select at random whatever food item they desire. Other pantry items include: Rehydratable dessert items: banana pudding, butterscotch pudding, applesauce and chocolate pudding. Rehydratable beverages: orange drink, orange grapefruit drink, pineapple grapefruit drink, grapefruit drink, grape drink, grape punch, cocoa and coffee."
Here's a summary of the history of space food from NASA.
Or check out a more pop-culture-savvy take at RetroFuture or a photo-rich website aimed at kids at Spacekids.co.uk.
Photo: Spacekids.co.uk
