We’ve been hearing daily about the malfunctioning toilet aboard the Artemis II space capsule. But virtually nothing about what comes before that fact: What’s on the menu aboard Artemis II as it circles the Moon?
Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen samples an
Artemis II test space meal during on-the-ground training…
Major upgrades…
The Artemis II crew menu features some major upgrades, compared to the food the last crew to fly to the Moon had onboard. They’re getting actual meals, rather than liquids and semi-solids they have to suck out of plastic pouches. And erzatz Hot Dogs.
What’s for dinner?
“The menu for NASA’s moon mission has 189 unique items on it and mirrors that of the International Space Station,” Scientific American (SA) reports. That’s the short version. The full menu is a much more varied, tastier affair…
On the shopping list for the crew’s mess: items such as macaroni and cheese, beef brisket, broccoli au gratin—and 58 tortillas!
And no surprise, to some of us, anyway, “Tortillas are among the most popular astronaut foods—in part because it’s simply easy to fill them, fold them up and eat them without bits floating off in the zero-g environment inside a spacecraft,” SA relates.
Other dishes are still served up in pouches, but not the primitive equipment of yesteryear. Also on board is a new ‘briefcase’-format food warmer. That’s making life both easier and more enjoyable for the Artemis crew.
Coffee in high demand
Coffee is in high demand among the crew. In response, NASA has allotted 43 cups of coffee for the crew—a little more than 10 cups per astronaut across the 10-day mission. I wonder how many of the high-flying quartet are wishing they had more?
But there are other beverages available – at least nine other choices, in fact, including lemonade, green tea and apple cider, as well as chocolate, vanilla and strawberry ‘breakfast drinks’. Each astro-naut has two non-water beverages allotted to them per day.
There are also five varieties of hot sauce onboard and an array of desserts.
According to Google AI…
Key menu items include:
- Main Entrées: BBQ beef brisket, Macaroni and Cheese, Broccoli au Gratin, and Vegetable Quiche.
- Vegetables & Sides: Green beans, cauliflower, butternut squash, mango salad, and tropical fruit salad.
- Breakfast: Granola with blueberries, sausage, and breakfast drinks.
- Snacks/Dessert: Nuts, candy-coated almonds, cookies, and chocolate.
My take
It’s taken how long? By my reckoning, starting in 1969 with the first Moon Landing, it’s taken ‘only’ 57 years to come up with ‘real meals’ for deep space travellers. Not to mention the wherewithal to pre-pare and consume them efficiently.
I’m a food business veteran. And I know how important enjoyable food is to anyone’s emotional well being and ability to function… Good food is a recipe for success in any endeavour!
~ Maggie J.