.png)
2 weeks ago
5
ARTICLE AD BOX
At least 189 food items are flying aboard Artemis II. For Jeremy Hansen, NASA has included five Canadian products in the menu, including maple syrup.
The Artemis II crew (L-R) mission specialist Jeremy Hansen of CSA (Canadian Space Agency), mission specialist Christina Koch, commander Reid Wiseman and pilot Victor Glover (Getty Images via AFP)NASA astronauts on the Artemis 2 mission around the Moon have plenty of food options on their space-travel menu — some of which they have chosen themselves. For Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, it's maple syrup.
The space agency said that the Artemis II crew had direct input into menu selection. “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.”
Since there is no resupply, refrigeration, or late-load capability, all meals have been carefully selected to remain safe, shelf-stable, and easy to prepare and consume in the Orion spacecraft.
NASA said the foods travelling to space are easy to prepare and consume in microgravity, minimise crumbs, and remain safe and stable throughout the mission.
Therefore, it has made some simple but practical swaps in its food selection, such as switching bread for flat tortillas, in this mission to make things work in zero gravity.
Other than the shelf life, the food selection for Artemis II considers food safety, nutritional value, crew preference, and compatibility with Orion’s mass, volume, and power requirements, the space agency said.
Check what's on the menu for Artemis II
At least 189 food items are flying aboard Artemis II, which the space agency said is designed to support crew health and performance during the mission around the Moon.
For Jeremy Hansen, NASA has included five Canadian products in the menu, including maple syrup.
View full Image
How is the NASA Artemis II menu tailored for different phases of the mission?
The menus are tailored based on the spacecraft’s food preparation capabilities during each phase of flight, NASA said.
Certain foods, such as freeze-dried meals, require hydration using Orion’s potable water dispenser, which is not available during some phases, including launch and landing.
As a result, foods selected for those phases must be ready-to-eat and compatible with the spacecraft’s operational constraints, while a broader range of food options is available once full food preparation systems are up and running.
How is space food prepared in the Orion spacecraft?
Food aboard Orion is ready-to-eat, rehydratable, thermostabilized, or irradiated.
The crew will use Orion’s potable water dispenser to rehydrate foods and beverages and a compact, briefcase-style food warmer to heat meals as needed.
NASA Artemis 2 crew
Meet the four-member Artemis 2 crew:
- Commander Reid Wiseman: A Baltimore native, the 50-year-old has served on two deployments to the Middle East and has also trained as a test pilot before being selected as a NASA astronaut in 2019. He has been to space once.
- Pilot Victor Glover: 49-year-old Victor Glover is a Navy aviator and test pilot, who was also the pilot for the Crew-1 mission to the ISS.
- Mission Specialists Christina Koch (NASA): She already has a record-setting astronaut career. Koch conducted the first all-woman spacewalk at the ISS in 2019.
- Jeremy Hansen (Canadian Space Agency): The 50-year-old is the only Artemis II crew member who will be making his first trip to space. He previously worked as a fighter pilot and was selected by the Canadian Space Agency for astronaut training in 2009.
They will fly around the Moon for 10 days.
The Artemis II mission is expected to launch on April 1. The countdown to launch has officially begun inside the Rocco Petrone Launch Control Center.
About the Author
Arshdeep Kaur
Arshdeep Kaur is a Senior Content Producer at Mint, where she reports and edits across national and international politics, business and culture‑adjacent trending stories for digital audience. With five years in the newsroom, she strives to balance the speed and rigor of fast‑moving news cycles and longer, context‑rich explainers. <br><br> Before joining LiveMint, Arshdeep served as a Senior Sub‑Editor at Business Standard and earlier as a Sub‑Editor at Asian News International (ANI). Her experience spans live news flows, enterprise features, and multi‑platform packaging. <br><br> At Mint, she regularly writes explainers, quick takes, and visuals‑led stories that are optimized for search and social, while maintaining the publication’s standards for accuracy and clarity. She collaborates closely with editors and the audience team to frame angles that resonate with readers in India and abroad, and to translate complex developments into accessible, high‑impact journalism. <br><br> Arshdeep's academic training underpins her interest towards policy and markets. She earned an MA in Economics from Panjab University and holds a Post‑Graduate Diploma in Broadcast Journalism from the India Today Media Institute (ITMI). This blend of economics and broadcast storytelling informs her coverage of public policy, elections, macro themes, and the consumer‑internet zeitgeist. <br><br> Arshdeep is based in New Delhi, where she tracks breaking developments and longer‑horizon storylines that shape public discourse.
English (US) ·