Why did the astronauts drink Tang?

[Rodgers01]

This seems to be a popular factoid that everyone knows, but I’ve never heard a reason why – why did the astronauts so famously drink Tang in outerspace? Did the early astronauts just coincidentally enjoy Tang? Was Tang an official sponsor of NASA? Or does Tang have some chemical property that makes it taste better in outer space than other drinks?

[fluiddruid]

From http://www.kukuachoo.net/a98.htm (not a very authoritive cite, but oh well):

Engineers at NASA were looking for a lightweight powder that could provide nutrition and not take up much room on missions- and Tang fit the bill!

Due to space requirements, a powdered drink mix is a good fit for the space program, and unlike Kool-Aid, Tang has some nutritional value (100% daily requirement for Vitamin C, for one)

[Colibri]

They couldn’t very well bring along frozen OJ concentrate, could they? Tang was just a convenient instant powdered substitute for orange juice. Tang was first marketed by General Foods in 1957; the first space mission that included it was Gemini 4 in 1965.

From Kraft Brands

Birth of a Brand
In 1957, after two years of research, General Foods Corporation first launched Tang powdered beverage in the US in test markets. But the brand soon began crossing borders: Tang was introduced in Canada and Venezuela in 1959, and in Great Britain and Peru in 1961.

In the US, though, the brand’s biggest claim to fame was as a passenger on board manned space flights. The Gemini 4 astronauts were the first to bring Tang along on their mission in 1965. In fact, a special drink dispenser was designed for Tang for the mission.

From here

Despite it’s connection to the space race, Tang had been available as far back as 1959. Developed by General Foods as an alternative to fresh and frozen orange juice, Tang had only moderate success in the marketplace before blasting off with NASA.

Engineers at NASA were looking for a lightweight powder that could provide nutrition and not take up much room on missions- and Tang fit the bill! The orange flavored powdered breakfast juice drink became the astronaut’s beverage of choice (what choice did they have though?).

[astro]

Some astronauts weren’t all that fond of Tang. If spilled after being wetted it tended to encrust into a cement like substance that got everywhere.

[ArmaRly]

The fuel cells that were used to provide electricity from a platinum catalysed reaction of hydrogen and oxygen. This produces a lot of water. So rather than bring drinks that were hydrated, they made use of this water to save weight.

[Johnny_L.A]

You know, the drink actually goes back to whalers. They liked Harpoon Tang.

[Mindfield]

@Johnny L.A.

You know, the drink actually goes back to whalers. They liked Harpoon Tang.

That was awful. Go stand in the corner.

[WotNot]

@astro

Some astronauts weren’t all that fond of Tang. If spilled after being wetted it tended to encrust into a cement like substance that got everywhere.

Plus, of course, it gave John Young the farts. Which is bad news if you’re stuck in a spacesuit for several hours.