# 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:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**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, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-explain-astronaut-food-to-kids/309205/21 "2005-06-22T13:12:01Z")
My recollections may be hazy, but I do recall Tang being bought in quantity in the early 1960s, not “languishing on the shelves”. Looking it up, I find that Tang was inventede by the same guy who invented Cool Whip and Pop Rocks: [http://www.todayinsci.com/cgi-bin/indexpage.pl?http://www.todayinsci.com/7/7\_26.htm](http://www.todayinsci.com/cgi-bin/indexpage.pl?http://www.todayinsci.com/7/7_26.htm) (scroll down to “Deaths”) ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2005, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-explain-astronaut-food-to-kids/309205/22 "2005-06-22T13:41:35Z")
I remember drinking \*lots \* of Tang as a boy then. All that sugar may explain some of my fillings today. **Lissa** , I do hope you didn’t send the kiddies any Astronaut Ice Cream, or you’ve got even more explaining to do. It looks, feels, and tastes just like chalk. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2005, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-explain-astronaut-food-to-kids/309205/23 "2005-06-22T13:44:38Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > **Lissa** , I do hope you didn’t send the kiddies any Astronaut Ice Cream, or you’ve got even more explaining to do. It looks, feels, and tastes just like chalk. Actually, that’s the bulk of it. There are three packages of different ice creams and one package of raspberries. If they don’t like it, they can always take it to school and pass it around for show-and-tell. It’s more the idea than the actual product. Crazy Aunt Lissa is always sending them books and other educational curiosities. They’re bright kids, and should be encouraged. (Not that their parents don’t realize that-- they’re great, but sometimes outside encouragement means more than what mom and dad does every day.) ---
**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, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-explain-astronaut-food-to-kids/309205/24 "2005-06-22T13:47:54Z")
Funny, to me, it always tasted like a chocolate flavored sponge, but before the sponge was used, when it was still dry. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2005, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-explain-astronaut-food-to-kids/309205/25 "2005-06-22T15:32:05Z")
> [@BMalion](#): > > AHA! found what the little astronauts from the [1950’s and 1960’s](http://www.theimaginaryworld.com/spacegrid.html) ate. Is it me or does the guy on Chocks Vitimins look like a Caveman from those recent Geico commercials? ---
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2005, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-explain-astronaut-food-to-kids/309205/26 "2005-06-22T17:09:10Z")
Do you often eat dry sponge? I find it’s much better when it’s well-soaked. I recommend you just mention things like (as you’ve already said) the weight, how it’s very hard to get stuff into space, and how it doesn’t have water in it. That last one was my favourite part when I was a kid. You might also mention that it also takes up much less room when it’s dried. ---
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2005, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-explain-astronaut-food-to-kids/309205/27 "2005-06-22T17:10:58Z")
Yeah, that first part was in response to **Scott\_Plaid** , but I forgot to hit the “Quote message in reply?” box. ---
**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, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-explain-astronaut-food-to-kids/309205/28 "2005-06-22T17:13:35Z")
> [@Speaker for the Dead](#): > > Do you often eat dry sponge? I find it’s much better when it’s well-soaked. 😃 Do you soak it in in tea, or in cocoa? ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2005, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-explain-astronaut-food-to-kids/309205/29 "2005-06-22T17:47:00Z")
I \*\*like \*\*astronaut ice cream :::slinks from thread::: ---
**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, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-explain-astronaut-food-to-kids/309205/30 "2005-06-22T19:25:05Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > My recollections may be hazy, but I do recall Tang being bought in quantity in the early 1960s, not “languishing on the shelves”. lots of authorities disagree with that recollection. I remember my mom mixing powdered Tang and powdered Ice Tea for a real refreshing taste treat, makes me wonder how I lived through my childhood. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2005, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-explain-astronaut-food-to-kids/309205/31 "2005-06-23T01:33:31Z")
baby food in tubes like toothpaste :eek: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-explain-astronaut-food-to-kids/309205.md?page=1)