Space travel has never been associated with gourmet dining (astronaut ice cream, anyone?!) but crew members on the Artemis II mission appear to be eating pretty well.
On April 1, the four astronauts embarked on a 10-day journey to orbit the moon, marking the first manned mission toward the moon since 1972.
As space fans eagerly follow the crew’s journey, many social media users are sharing their thoughts on the food NASA has prepared for the astronauts.
NASAThe Artemis II Mission Menu
In March, NASA shared a graphic that offered a sneak peek at the food the crew would be dining on while in space. In total, there are 189 unique menu items onboard the Artemis II mission.
Astronauts have access to more than 10 types of beverages, including, coffee, green tea, lemonade, cocoa, breakfast drinks (vanilla, chocolate and strawberry), apple cider, pineapple drink and mango-peach smoothie.
Food items include tortillas, wheat flat bread, breakfast sausage, vegetable quiche, macaroni and cheese, almonds and cashews, butternut squash, barbecued beef brisket, broccoli au gratin, couscous with nuts, mango salad, granola with blueberries, spicy green beans, cauliflower and tropical fruit salad.
For dessert, the astronauts can choose from pudding, cookies, cobbler, chocolate, cake and candy-coated almonds.
There are also plenty of spreads and sauces onboard, including five different hot sauces, maple syrup, peanut and almond butters, honey, chocolate spread, spicy mustard, strawberry jam and cinnamon.
Social Media Users Are Generally Impressed with the Menu
Now that the menu has recirculated on X, some social media users have taken to the platform to share their thoughts.
For starters, a lot of people were impressed with the extensive variety of foods.
“We really went from ‘one small step’ to full-on space menus,” one person wrote.
“Artemis II crew about to be dining in orbit like it’s a 10-day fine dining experience another commented.
Some X users were even a bit jealous of the astronauts’ menu.
“Why they eating better than me while they going round the moon?” one wrote.
“Okay but that space menu actually looks way better than my usual Tuesday night takeout Astronauts eating gourmet while orbiting Earth? Sign me up for the next flight,” another commented.
However, some folks were a bit underwhelmed by the menu.
“People dreaming of space travel till they see the menu,” one X user wrote.
Another commented, “10 days of prepackaged meals but at least they got variety.”
How NASA Created the Menu
Per NASA, the food on the menu is “designed to support crew health and performance during the mission around the Moon.”
Since there’s no fridge in the Artemis II, all food has to be shelf-stable. Food should also be “easy to prepare and consume in microgravity.”
Luckily, crew members got to provide input on the meals beforehand.
“Crew members sample, evaluate, and rate all foods on the standard menu during preflight testing, and their preferences are balanced with nutritional requirements and what Orion can accommodate,” the NASA website reads.
Per NASA, the food is “ready-to-eat, rehydratable, thermostabilized, or irradiated.” Crew members use a potable water dispenser to rehydrate foods and beverages and a food warmer to heat meals.
NASA notes that the Artemis II menus “reflect decades of advancement in space food systems.”