Artemis II astronauts' food menu for space mission revealed

The food and drink menu for the astronauts aboard NASA's historic Artemis II moon mission has been revealed - and it's not what you'd expect.

Four astronauts, Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, Jeremy Hansen, and Victor Glover, are currently on their way to orbit the Earth's natural satellite after the successful launch of the Orion rocket.

Crowds gathered outside the Kennedy Space Centre to watch the takeoff yesterday (1 April), which happened at 6.35pm EDT, which was 11.35pm in the UK.

Aside from a temporary communication link issue and a broken toilet, things got off to a smooth start, and it's been confirmed that the crew is 'secure and in great spirits'.

Their journey marks not only the farthest that any humans have traveled from our planet, but will also make history with Koch set to become the first woman to circle the Moon and Glover being the first Black person to do the same.

Space has always been a topic of fascination for most people, so understandably, everyone has a whole load of questions about the mission, including what the astronauts will be eating.

Artemis II has officially begun it's journey to orbit the moon (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Well, wonder no further as NASA has revealed what's on the menu, and it's a lot.

The food is 'designed to support crew health and performance' as they will have no 'resupply, refrigeration, or late-load capability,' meaning all meals must be carefully selected to remain safe, shelf-stable, and easy to prepare and consume in the spacecraft.

As per NASA's website, the food selections are developed in coordination with space food experts and the crew to balance calorie needs, hydration, and nutrient intake while accommodating individual crew preferences.

On a typical mission day, excluding launch and reentry, the crew has scheduled time for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and each astronaut is allotted two flavored beverages per day, which may include coffee.

What's on the menu for the Artemis II astronauts?

And if you're imagining a bland array of flavourless meals, you'd be wrong, as they actually have a wide array of food and drink to choose from - 189 unique menu items to be precise.

The most common food items on board are:

• Tortillas
• Wheat flat bread
• Vegetable quiche
• Breakfast sausage
• Couscous with nuts
• Mango salad
• Granola with blueberries
• Almonds
• Cashews
• Barbecued beef brisket
• Broccoli au gratin
• Spicy green beans
• Macaroni and cheese
• Tropical fruit salad
• Butternut squash
• Cauliflower

Take a look at the menu for yourself (NASA)

The crew also has more than 10 different types of beverages to choose from, including coffee, green tea, a mango and peach smoothie, chocolate, vanilla and strawberry breakfast drinks, lemonade, apple cider, a pineapple drink, and cocoa.

And if the food options aren't providing enough flavour, the Artemis II astronauts also have an array of flavourings and sauces to jazz up their meals, including five different hot sauces.

Mape syrup, chocolate spread, peanut butter, spicy mustard, strawberry jam, honey, cinnamon, and almond butter are all available for them to utilise.

The crew even has sweet treats to satisfy their cravings, such as cookies, chocolate, cobbler, cake, candy-coated almonds, and pudding.

How is the food prepared on Orion?

NASA has explained that all of the food aboard Orion is ready-to-eat, rehydratable, thermostabilized, or irradiated.

The crew uses Orion’s potable water dispenser to rehydrate foods and beverages and a compact, briefcase-style food warmer to heat meals as needed.

All of the options are easy to prepare and can be consumed in microgravity, while minimizing crumbs and remaining safe and stable throughout the mission.

The crew had a say in what was on the menu, too, and they got to sample, evaluate, and rate all foods on the standard menu during preflight testing.

Personal items Artemis II astronauts have brought with them

Commander Reid Wiseman

(NASA)

Wiseman, a US Navy test pilot-turned-astronaut, is a single parent who is raising his two teenage daughters alone after he sadly lost his wife to cancer in 2020.

He's spoken to his children about the risks of the mission, with him saying to them while out on a walk: "Here's where the will is, here's where the trust documents are, and if anything happens to me, here's what's going to happen to you… That's part of this life."

Wiseman said he planned on taking a small notepad so that he can jot down his thoughts during the mission.

Mission specialist Christina Koch

(NASA)

Koch, an engineer and physicist, is a woman who has made many incredible milestones in her life.

Not only has she set the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman, spending 328 days aboard the International Space Station in 2019, but she's also taken part in the first-ever all-female spacewalk. And now, she's the first woman to ever travel to the moon and venture into deep space.

Koch is taking handwritten notes from people close to her for her personal item, which she has described as a 'tactile connection' to loved ones back on Earth.

Mission specialist Jeremy Hansen

(NASA)

This is the former Royal Canadian Air Force fighter pilot and physicist's first time in space, making him the first Canadian to ever venture into deep space.

Hansen, who is married with three children, will carry four moon-shaped pendants for his wife and children, engraved with the phrase 'Moon and back' and set with their birthstones.

He will also be taking maple syrup and maple cookies on his lunar voyage, in true Canadian style.

Pilot Victor J Glover

(NASA)

Glover, a former US Navy fighter pilot and test pilot who became a NASA astronaut in 2013, is setting a milestone of his own by being the first ever Black person to travel to the moon.

He is married with four children, and served as pilot of NASA's SpaceX Crew 1 mission, as well as spending nearly six months on the International Space Station as part of Expedition 64.

Already known as the most charismatic and 'sharply dressed' of the Artemis crew, Glover has said he will take on board with him a Bible, his wedding rings and family heirlooms, along with a collection of inspirational quotations compiled by Apollo 9 astronaut Rusty Schweickart.