NASA’s 189-Item Menu For 10-Day Artemis II Doesn’t Have Bread Or Salt: Why These Are Space Hazards

Last Updated:April 01, 2026, 12:15 IST

NASA’s Artemis II explained: Why common kitchen favourites are hazardous in space? What are the 189 items that will meet nutritional and psychological needs of the four astronauts?

The four astronauts who will go on Artemis II lunar mission. (X/NASA)

As four astronauts get set for the Artemis II mission scheduled on April 1, one common question is what will they eat during the 10-day journey.

NASA has replaced the stereotypical “tubes and paste” with a menu of 189 unique items. The 189 items cover a range of food and drink categories to meet both the nutritional and psychological needs of the four astronauts.

Because the Orion spacecraft lacks a refrigerator and resupply options, every item is shelf-stable, meaning it is freeze-dried, thermostabilised, or irradiated to remain safe for the 10-day journey.

What is Artemis II?

Artemis II is the first crewed mission of NASA’s Artemis program, designed to send humans to the vicinity of the Moon for the first time since 1972. Currently scheduled to launch no earlier than April 1, 2026, the 10-day mission serves as a critical flight test for the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion spacecraft before future missions attempt a lunar landing. The primary goal of Artemis II is to verify that the Orion spacecraft’s life-support and communication systems can safely sustain astronauts in deep space.

What’s on the menu for four astronauts on Artemis II mission?

The crew — Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen — has helped select meals during preflight testing:

Main Entrees: Barbecued beef brisket, macaroni and cheese, vegetable quiche, cashew chicken curry, and shrimp cocktail.

Sides & Snacks: Spicy green beans, broccoli au gratin, mango salad, couscous with nuts, granola with blueberries, and various nuts like almonds and cashews.

Desserts: Chocolate pudding cake, maple cream cookies, cobbler, and candy-coated almonds.

Cultural treats: To honour Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, the menu includes maple syrup and maple biscuits.

What is the science behind the flavours picked for space?

NASA is including five different hot sauces and various condiments like spicy mustard and chocolate spread. This is because microgravity causes fluid shifts in the body that lead to nasal congestion, dulling an astronaut’s sense of taste; bold, spicy flavours help counteract this “head cold” effect.

Tortillas instead of bread to beverages: What will the NASA crew carry?

No bread: The crew will carry 58 tortillas instead of bread to eliminate the risk of crumbs floating into sensitive electronics or being inhaled.

Rehydration: Most meals are freeze-dried and rehydrated using Orion’s potable water dispenser.

Heating: A compact, “briefcase-style” food warmer is used to heat thermostabilised dishes.

Beverages: Each astronaut is allotted two flavoured beverages per day from a selection of over 10 options, including coffee (totaling 43 cups for the mission), green tea, and mango-peach smoothies.

Why common kitchen favourites become hazardous in space

In microgravity, your kitchen favorites can quickly become mission-ending hazards. NASA’s rules exist because everything — from a tiny crumb to a drop of water — floats, potentially causing short circuits in electronics or getting stuck in an astronaut’s eye or lung.

The main hazards

Crumbs and dust: Bread, crackers, and even “astronaut” ice cream are banned because they produce crumbs. In space, these don’t fall to the floor; they drift into sensitive air filters and electrical panels. This is why NASA swapped bread for tortillas, which are engineered to be “acrumbic” (crumb-free).

Floating seasonings: You can’t shake salt or pepper in space. The grains would float away and irritate the crew’s noses and eyes. Instead, astronauts use liquid salt (dissolved in water) and liquid pepper (suspended in oil).

Carbonation: Without gravity, the gas in soda doesn’t rise to the top of the stomach. This leads to “wet burping,” where gas and liquid are expelled together — a messy and uncomfortable experience. Most NASA beverages are non-carbonated and served in sealed pouches.

Powders: Fine substances like flour or granulated sugar can be explosive in high concentrations or simply clog life-support systems. If a recipe needs a sweetener, it’s usually integrated into the food during processing.

Alcohol: Beyond the safety risks of impairment, alcohol can damage the International Space Station’s water recovery system, which recycles sweat and urine into drinking water.

What are the environmental challenges?

The ‘head cold’ effect: Without gravity, body fluids move toward the head, causing sinus congestion. This shift causes facial swelling (often called “Moon Face”) and nasal congestion.

Because your nasal passages are perpetually “blocked,” your sense of smell is severely diminished. Since smell accounts for roughly 80% of flavor, food tastes incredibly bland. This is why astronauts heavily use hot sauce and liquid spices to trigger a sensory response

Smell: In a closed-loop air system, strong odours like fish or onions don’t dissipate. NASA limits these to prevent the cabin from becoming unbearable for the crew.

Microbes: Food safety is intensified in space because of how bacteria behave in a sealed, microgravity environment. On Earth, moisture and bacteria usually settle. In space, moisture can float as droplets, potentially carrying bacteria into the ventilation system where it can spread throughout the cabin.

Some studies suggest that certain bacteria can become more aggressive or grow faster in microgravity. This makes thermostabilisation (high-heat processing) and irradiation (using ionizing radiation to kill microbes) critical for nearly all space food to ensure it is 100% sterile.

KEY FAQs

Do astronauts cook in space?

No. On missions like Artemis II, food is pre-prepared. Astronauts only rehydrate or warm meals — no frying or baking.

Why can’t astronauts eat normal bread?

Because crumbs float in microgravity and can get into lungs and damage spacecraft systems. That’s why tortillas are used instead.

Do astronauts feel hungry or enjoy food?

Yes, but taste is often muted. Many astronauts prefer bold flavours and hot sauce to compensate.

With agency inputs

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