The Artemis II crew was about halfway between the moon and Earth on Saturday as they prepared for a lunar flyby on Monday.
The four-person team is carrying enough food to sustain the mission’s 10 days in space, but the menu differs from other missions.
Artemis II astronauts dine from a fixed, preselected menu designed for a self-contained spacecraft with no resupply — unlike the International Space Station, which receives regular deliveries and can offer fresh food.
During Apollo missions, astronauts relied on lightweight, rehydrated meals. Apollo 8 Commander Frank Borman once called the food “unappetizing.”
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While NASA must still consider space limitations when developing Artemis meals, astronauts now have a broader selection. The one requirement: food must be shelf-stable and require no refrigeration.
Another factor is microgravity. Meals must be easy to consume and minimize crumbs.
Beverages are also restricted. Astronauts can choose only two flavored drinks per day — options include coffee, green tea and various juices — because of weight limits.
NASA said the Orion spacecraft carries 189 unique food items, including tortillas, flatbread, quiche, brisket, cauliflower macaroni and cheese, and almonds.
“The Artemis II crew has direct input into menu selection,” NASA said. “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. Final, crew-specific menus are set well before launch. Two to three days’ worth of food for each crew member is packed together in a single container, providing flexibility for meal selection during the mission.”
How the food tastes in space
Now that astronauts are several days into their mission, they’ve had time to test the menu. It turns out food in space doesn't taste too different than on Earth.
“For me so far, I haven't really noticed much change, although I was expecting to notice it more,” Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen said.
When asked if he brought any Canadian dishes aboard, Hansen said he enjoyed maple biscuits during the crew’s first day in space.
“It was something fun at the end of a long day,” he said.
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