# How Do I Explain "Astronaut Food" to Kids? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 21, 2005, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-explain-astronaut-food-to-kids/309205 "2005-06-21T15:17:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2005, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-explain-astronaut-food-to-kids/309205/1 "2005-06-21T15:17:19Z")
I bought some freeze-dried “Astronaut Food” at the Smithsonian for my nieces and nephews. Not having children of my own, I need a bit of help with the explanatory letter I’m sending with it. They’re aged seven, five and four. (When I sent the Laura Ingalls Wilder books to my neice, I included a letter saying that some of the ways that the characters think (racism, etc.) might seem a bit strange, but people thought differently back then.) I’m thinking that I’ll say something along these lines: > [@](#): > > Dear [kids’ names] > > When your uncle and I went to Washington DC we bought this for you in the Smithsonian Museum. > > This is the kind of food that they give to astronauts when they go up into space. They have to be very careful with how much things they put into the ship weigh, so they dry the food so that all of the water comes out and it’s lighter. Can anyone else think of a better way to explain it? ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2005, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-explain-astronaut-food-to-kids/309205/2 "2005-06-21T15:23:04Z")
Dear kids: This is what astronauts eat. Astronauts are men who are sent up into space. Why are they sent up into space? Nobody knows for sure. Some say the intention is to intimidate the rest of the world with our technological prowess. Others claim it’s all about science and discovery. Still others propose that it’s just a desperate attempt to know the unknowable, a fruitless struggle to find something, anything, out there with any connection to our existence and its origins. We spend billions of dollars, while much of the world starves, outfitting these astronauts, building machines that will carry them, and creating technology that will assist them, all to travel into an airless realm where, so far, nothing has been found furthering or helping life on Earth. Astronauts are American Heroes! We proudly stake the U.S. flag on every rock in the galaxy - because we can! And this is what the astronauts eat! It’s good! ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2005, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-explain-astronaut-food-to-kids/309205/3 "2005-06-21T15:26:54Z")
I’ve never understood this myself. Don’t they add water to the freeze-dried stuff? Which means they have the water on board the ship, right? So how is this lightening the load? I’ve always like the concept though: add one drop of water to your little pile of powder, and voila! You suddenly have a nice steaming steak, baked potato, buttery baby carrots and a dinner roll. Happy, who learned everything he knows about space travel from Duck Dodgers ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2005, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-explain-astronaut-food-to-kids/309205/4 "2005-06-21T15:35:09Z")
> [@](#): > > This is what astronauts eat. Astronauts are men who are sent up into space. Tut-tut: > [@](#): > > This is what astronauts eat. Astronauts are **men** who are sent up into space. This, after Sally Ride and others, not to mention the Russian women! > [@](#): > > I’ve never understood this myself. Don’t they add water to the freeze-dried stuff? Which means they have the water on board the ship, right? So how is this lightening the load? Bt you don’t add water to reconstutute thye freeze-dried ice cream and others. You eat it “as is”. and the Freeze Drying makes it “keep” longer, too. Not all food was freeze-dried. Some of the 1960s astronaut food was cubed and coated, and the aim was to produce high-energy, low-weight, preserved food that produced little waste (always an important goal in limited space and capacity capsules). It should also be palatable, if possible. But we also know that the Space Program gave us **Tang** , so we know they didn’t take that last part too seriously. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2005, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-explain-astronaut-food-to-kids/309205/5 "2005-06-21T15:48:18Z")
> [@Happy Lendervedder](#): > > I’ve never understood this myself. Don’t they add water to the freeze-dried stuff? Which means they have the water on board the ship, right? Instead of carrying water in a tank, you carry hydrogen and oxygen. Feed them into fuel cells and you get water and electricity. Anyway, the stuff sold in museums is outdated as actual astronaut food. Present day astronauts eat much better. So the explanation should put it into a historical context. ---
**Author:** ![Rodd\_Hill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3ab097/32.png) [@Rodd\_Hill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodd_Hill)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2005, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-explain-astronaut-food-to-kids/309205/6 "2005-06-21T16:23:21Z")
“And remember, kids, they have to crap into a bag!” ---
**Author:** ![Rodd\_Hill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3ab097/32.png) [@Rodd\_Hill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodd_Hill)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2005, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-explain-astronaut-food-to-kids/309205/7 "2005-06-21T16:31:00Z")
Actually, they might find this interesting, kids being kids ‘n’ all: Space Toilets! [http://www.abc.net.au/science/k2/moments/s348188.htm](http://www.abc.net.au/science/k2/moments/s348188.htm) Apollo astronaut Russell Schweickart said, “One of the most beautiful sights is a urine dump at sunset.” ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2005, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-explain-astronaut-food-to-kids/309205/8 "2005-06-21T16:40:07Z")
Sorry **Lissa** , but Atronaut Food like Dinosaurs is something that kids get to explain to adults 😉 ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2005, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-explain-astronaut-food-to-kids/309205/9 "2005-06-21T17:13:20Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > But we also know that the Space Program gave us **Tang** , so we know they didn’t take that last part too seriously. Actually the product **Tang** , already existed before it’s inclusion in the space program, it was a poor seller until then. You can read about it [here.](http://www.spacefoodsticks.com/spacefood/history.html) ---
**Author:** ![slortar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slortar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slortar)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2005, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-explain-astronaut-food-to-kids/309205/10 "2005-06-21T17:47:57Z")
Dear kids, Astronaut food is made from real astronauts. The one I sent you used to be called Chuck. Enjoy! Love, Lissa ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2005, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-explain-astronaut-food-to-kids/309205/11 "2005-06-21T17:55:21Z")
> [@slortar](#): > > Dear kids, > > Astronaut food is made from real astronauts. The one I sent you used to be called Chuck. Enjoy! > > Love, > Lissa Best. Post. Ever! ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2005, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-explain-astronaut-food-to-kids/309205/12 "2005-06-21T22:53:14Z")
Nice one, **Argent**. We are all in awe of your incisive penetration of all the flimflammery to the very heart of the OP’s question. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2005, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-explain-astronaut-food-to-kids/309205/13 "2005-06-22T00:00:26Z")
> [@Argent Towers](#): > > Dear kids: > > This is what astronauts eat. Astronauts are men who are sent up into space. Why are they sent up into space? Nobody knows for sure. Some say the intention is to intimidate the rest of the world with our technological prowess. Others claim it’s all about science and discovery. Still others propose that it’s just a desperate attempt to know the unknowable, a fruitless struggle to find something, anything, out there with any connection to our existence and its origins. We spend billions of dollars, while much of the world starves, outfitting these astronauts, building machines that will carry them, and creating technology that will assist them, all to travel into an airless realm where, so far, nothing has been found furthering or helping life on Earth. Astronauts are American Heroes! We proudly stake the U.S. flag on every rock in the galaxy - because we can! > > And this is what the astronauts eat! > > It’s good! [official moderator warning]Totally off topic. If you want to criticize the space program, start your own thread in the proper forum.[/official moderator warning] ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2005, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-explain-astronaut-food-to-kids/309205/14 "2005-06-22T01:44:33Z")
> [@slortar](#): > > Dear kids, > > Astronaut food is made from real astronauts. The one I sent you used to be called Chuck. Enjoy! > > Love, > Lissa Which one? They are all called Chuck, or other soundalike nicknames. Half of them are named ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2005, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-explain-astronaut-food-to-kids/309205/15 "2005-06-22T01:47:34Z")
> [@](#): > > Actually the product Tang, already existed before it’s inclusion in the space program, it was a poor seller until then. > > You can read about it here. Slight error. Although it talks about “astronaut food”, there’ nothin’ about Tang on that page. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2005, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-explain-astronaut-food-to-kids/309205/16 "2005-06-22T02:41:06Z")
> [@Scott Plaid](#): > > Half of them are named and the other half answer to ‘hey, you!’ ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2005, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-explain-astronaut-food-to-kids/309205/17 "2005-06-22T04:58:46Z")
> [@Happy Lendervedder](#): > > I’ve never understood this myself. Don’t they add water to the freeze-dried stuff? Which means they have the water on board the ship, right? So how is this lightening the load? Recycling. Yes, they [purify their piss](http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast02nov_1.htm) and drink it again. As for the OP, have you looked at the package? I used to work at the National Air & Space Museum, and I seem to recall that the package explained what it was and why. (BTW, freeze-dried ice cream, while a big seller, tastes like flavored styrofoam.) ---
**Author:** ![slortar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slortar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slortar)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2005, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-explain-astronaut-food-to-kids/309205/18 "2005-06-22T12:03:06Z")
> [@Scott Plaid](#): > > Which one? They are all called Chuck, or other soundalike nicknames. Half of them are named Chuck was very big, the Paul Bunyan of the astronauts. After the unfortunate accident with the last Saturn V rocket, they had to do **something** with the enormous body. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2005, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-explain-astronaut-food-to-kids/309205/19 "2005-06-22T12:40:16Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Slight error. Although it talks about “astronaut food”, there’ nothin’ about Tang on that page. Well, only this [part:](http://www.spacefoodsticks.com/spacefood/history.html) > [@](#): > > Hideous or not, the public was eating it up, or in the case of Tang, drinking it in abundance. When junior space travelers discovered Tang was being used by the space program, sales of the instant breakfast drink skyrocketed However, I agree that it’s not much. So I refer you to [The Food Timeline,](http://www.foodtimeline.org/fooddecades.html#tang) > [@](#): > > “Tang, made by General Foods, is a sweetened drink powder artificially colored and flavored orange. It is one of America’s most celebrated chemically created foods…Tang went to space on the Gemini and Apollo missions. The mix was delivered to the astronauts in silver pouches. When water was added, the pouches yielded a sweet, slightly tangy orange-flavored drink that provided the entire day’s worth of Vitamin C. **By the first Gemini flight in 1965, Tang has been languishing on supermarket shelves for six years.** The General Foods dubbed it “the drink of the astronauts,” and the new Tang, with a prominent picutre of a launch pad on the outside of the canister, soon was rocketing upward in sales and consumption…At the peak of popularity of Tang in the 1960s and 1970s, American households consumed the “instant breakfast” on a regular basis.” > \*—Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America, Andrew F. Smith editor [Oxford University Press:Oxford] 2004, Volume 2 (p. 527-8) \* > > _Bolding mine_ ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2005, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-explain-astronaut-food-to-kids/309205/20 "2005-06-22T12:46:25Z")
AHA! found what the little astronauts from the [1950’s and 1960’s](http://www.theimaginaryworld.com/spacegrid.html) ate. 😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-explain-astronaut-food-to-kids/309205.md?page=2)