When you’re an astronaut, food options are somewhat limited during missions into space. You can’t exactly order in, and meals have to be preserved and then reconstituted when you’re finally ready to eat them. Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin knew that all too well, and their historic mission to the Moon included some equally historic meals that were downright strange.
The duo enjoyed at least two meals during their brief stay on the lunar surface, the first coming before the astronauts left the safety of the lunar module to explore the surface. That meal, which was technically the first meal enjoyed by humans on the Moon, sounds a bit like something a hungry college student might eat when funds are running low.
The first meal on the Moon included bacon (in squares), cubes of sugar cookie, a fruit drink, and coffee. Not exactly an epic feast for a couple of guys about to make scientific history, but when you’re in space you have to work with what you’re given.
After leaving the lunar module to set foot on the Moon, collect samples and performing a few other important tasks, the astronauts returned to their tiny home, repressurized, and enjoyed another meal. This time, the two enjoyed “cocktail sausages and fruit punch.”
Today, the food choices for space travelers is still limited, but things have gotten a lot better. These days, scientists living in space aboard the International Space Station get to enjoy meals that are closer to what they’re used to back on Earth, including seasonal treats like Christmas dinner with turkey, candied yams, and fruitcake.
Apollo 11 may have been NASA’s most important mission, advancing science in a myriad of ways and forging a new path for humanity… but the food was positively pedestrian.
