Discovery News > Space News > Wide Angle: Space Food and Orbital Dining

Wide Angle: Space Food and Orbital Dining

The moment mankind pushed into space, food had to come with us, but each space agency had their own rules and regulations (and cultural obligations) on how to deal with orbital dinners. It might not be very glamorous squeezing pureed apple sauce from a tube or getting crumbs stuck on delicate instrumentation, but we are getting better at cooking for, and eating in, microgravity.

John Young shortly before the Gemini III launch.

The Case of the Contraband Corned Beef Sandwich

What did the astronaut take into space? A corned beef sandwich, of course! Unfortunately, NASA didn't see the funny side.

Mike Finke eating an apple on the ISS (NASA)

Top 10 Best Space Food

Although launching food in space is a necessity, it doesn't mean it has to be boring. Space food has come a long way since the first manned flights into orbit, so here are ten of the best items on the menu.

Top 10 Worst Space Food

Now we know what the ideal menu would look like on the International Space Station, what's the nastiest packets of goop that would be left at the back of the orbital pantry?