"Houston, We Have a Snacc"
(History)
(History)
This space program in the 1960s introduced “food tubes” that made astronauts feel like they were eating from a toothpaste bottle.
What is Project Mercury?
This type of space food has all its water removed and must be revived with water before astronauts can enjoy it again.
What is rehydratable food?
To stop forks, knives, and spoons from floating away, astronauts stick them to their meal trays using these two things.
What are magnets and Velcro?
DOUBLE DOUBLE - 200 points
This orange drink powder became famous after astronauts used it, but NASA never actually invented it.
What is Tang?
If astronauts don't like what’s for dinner, they can’t just go to the store. Instead, they pick their meals this many months before launch.
What is five months?
DOUBLE-DOUBLE! - 400 points
The first space station where astronauts could store ice cream, thanks to the addition of a freezer and refrigerator.
What is Skylab?
A rare type of space food that has been zapped with ionizing radiation to ensure it's bacteria-free. Only two meat items qualify!
What is irradiated food?
Astronauts can’t just sip drinks from an open cup because of microgravity, so they use these special straws.
What are straws with clamps?
This popular bread substitute became a space travel staple because it doesn't create crumbs.
What is a tortilla?
Before tortillas, astronauts used this type of bread in space, but the crumbs became so bad they had to stop using it.
What is regular sandwich bread?
This Apollo-era invention made space food way better by finally allowing astronauts to use spoons instead of squeezing their meals from tubes.
What is the spoon bowl?
A food category that doesn’t need water but still stays soft. Includes items like dried peaches and beef jerky.
What is intermediate moisture food?
This common cooking appliance found in every Earth kitchen does NOT exist in space because of weight and safety concerns.
What is a stove?
Astronauts can enjoy this sweet treat in space, but it’s not the same kind you’d find in a freezer on Earth.
What is freeze-dried ice cream?
DOUBLE DOUBLE - 600 points!
To keep food fresh on the ISS, NASA has to rely on this system to provide power, since there are no fuel cells to create water.
What are solar panels?
This space program introduced bite-sized, gelatin-coated cubes to prevent floating food debris from attacking astronauts.
What is Gemini?
Astronauts must be extremely careful when eating these food items in space because they produce dangerous floating particles.
What are crumbly foods like bread and crackers?
DOUBLE DOUBLE! - 800 points
To prevent floating salt explosions, NASA had to invent these special versions of salt and pepper.
What are liquid salt and liquid pepper?
On Apollo missions, astronauts could drink this popular breakfast beverage, but they had to rehydrate it first.
What is orange juice?
If an astronaut wants to eat this American BBQ favorite in space, it has to be irradiated first—sounds delicious!
What is beef steak?
The Mercury astronauts had the challenge of eating this type of unappetizing space food, which was squeezed directly into their mouths from an aluminum tube.
What is semi-liquid food?
DOUBLE DOUBLE! - 1000 points
A surprising food item that NASA designed for space but actually became a hit in grocery stores on Earth.
What is freeze-dried ice cream?
Astronauts on the ISS must be very mindful of their food supply because this spacecraft only delivers new supplies every 90 days.
What is the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module?
This originally Mexican space food was introduced to NASA menus thanks to astronaut Rodolfo Neri Vela in 1985.
What is a flour tortilla?
To avoid making a mess, astronauts have to cut their food open with this surprising and very important tool they always keep in their pockets.
What are scissors?