NASA’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, along with the Canadian Space Agency’s Jeremy Hansen, are less than 24 hours away from flying to the moon.
The Artemis II mission is scheduled to launch from Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday, April 1. Once NASA’s powerful SLS rocket launches the crew into space, they will spend about a day in Earth orbit checking the Orion spacecraft’s systems before changing its trajectory and heading to the moon.
The mission does not include a moon landing. Instead, the astronauts will orbit the moon before returning home on a journey that is expected to last about 10 days.
What kind of food will fuel the crew during their epic journey?
Menu items are designed to support crew health and performance. Without resupply or refrigeration, all food must be durable and easy to prepare and consume within the spacecraft’s confines.
“Food selections are developed in consultation with space nutrition experts and the crew to balance calorie needs, fluid intake, and nutrient intake while meeting individual crew preferences,” NASA said in a post about meals on the Artemis II mission.
The menu includes everything from tortillas, vegetable quiche and mango salad to nuts, macaroni and cheese and tropical fruit salad. On their journey to and from the moon, astronauts can also enjoy things like blueberry granola, grilled brisket and spicy green beans.
Drinks include coffee, green tea, mango peach smoothie, lemonade and cocoa. While it might seem appropriate to celebrate a trip to the moon with a glass of champagne, Orion will not carry alcohol.
The consumables are certainly an improvement over what the last Apollo astronauts enjoyed – or endured – during their lunar missions more than five decades ago.
Back then, food for astronauts was limited and often unappealing, consisting mostly of bite-sized cubes, freeze-dried powders and tubed meals with little variety or consistency. In contrast, Artemis II crew members benefit from decades of advances, including experiences on the International Space Station, that allow them to enjoy both tastier and more nutritious foods.
NASA will use its findings from the Artemis II mission to better understand how astronauts effectively eat and handle food in a small spacecraft. The findings will help guide preparations for future and much longer manned missions to space.
Want to watch a live stream of the Artemis II crew’s launch on its historic mission from Florida’s Space Coast on Wednesday? Digital trends are here for you.
