SouthernWorldwide.com – Even though space food has come a long way from the days of dehydrated ice cream, it is often described as bland. A key consideration in its design is the absence of crumbs, as these could potentially float around the spacecraft’s interior.
However, candy presents a different scenario.
Upon their return to Earth, the Artemis II crew’s very first snack, consumed before rescue teams could even open their capsule, consisted of peanut M&Ms. Commander Reid Wiseman shared this detail on Friday during a “CBS Mornings” town hall event titled “Artemis II: A Celebration of Heroes.” Wiseman, along with fellow astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Jeremy Hansen, engaged with students, answering their questions about their significant mission.
“When we landed, we splashed down into the Pacific Ocean, waiting for the rescue forces to come open the hatch, and Christina, out of her spacesuit pocket, goes, ‘I got some peanut M&Ms, anybody want some?'” Wiseman recounted, eliciting laughter from the crew and the student attendees. “And so we’re leaning against the side of the spacecraft, just come back from the moon, eating peanut M&Ms; we were happy.”
Food was not the only culinary item to capture attention during the space flight.
Viewers on Earth were notably amused by a jar of Nutella that was observed floating freely within the capsule mere minutes before the four astronauts achieved a record for the greatest distance ever traveled from Earth by humans.
The jar was visible floating just behind Koch’s head in the footage.
NASA officially confirmed that this was not a product placement stunt. Nevertheless, Nutella’s parent company, the Ferrero Group, seemed to relish the celestial exposure.
“Honored to have traveled further than any spread in history 🚀 Taking spreading smiles to new heights,” the company posted on X, adding, “We’ve traveled to a lot of breakfast tables. Never any quite like this.”
Eating in Space
The crew members revealed that the food provided during the mission was actually quite enjoyable.
Wiseman mentioned that the crew particularly valued their communication with the team on the International Space Station during their journey back to Earth, and for a particular reason.
“On flight Day 7, we had a link up with the International Space Station,” he stated. “It was one of our favorite days and the best part about that whole call was we were all eating the same food.”
Read more : Artemis Astronauts Describe Moon Mission as "Best Roller Coaster Ride
When asked about their preferred meals during the mission, Wiseman and Glover enthusiastically listed spicy green beans, broccoli au gratin, and fajitas as some of the available meal options.
