Maple syrup joins NASA's Artemis II mission to Moon – Check what the crew will eat

NASA astronauts on the Artemis II 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 from bread to 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.

How is the NASA Artemis II menu tailored for different phases of 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. 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 II crew

Meet the four-member Artemis II 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 1 April. The countdown to launch has officially begun inside the Rocco Petrone Launch Control Center.