The First Meal Ever Eaten In Space Was Anything But Stellar

Space has never been known for its fine dining, but the first food ever eaten high above planet Earth was especially sad. The meal occurred on April 12, 1961, during the Vostok 1 mission, the first crewed flight to space, when Yuri Gagarin, a Soviet cosmonaut, reached for two aluminum tubes. The first was a tube of beef and liver paste, which Gagarin ate as a main course. The second tube was the dessert portion of the meal, and contained a chocolate spread of sorts.

Before this historic meal took place, nobody really knew if food could even be consumed by humans in space. And although the United States Air Force conducted experiments in aircrafts that simulated the feeling of weightlessness, it wasn't until Gagarin had his tube meal that they knew for certain that it was possible. Finally, the truth was known: Human digestive systems do indeed function correctly in space. This would eventually lead to other types of meals being served in space.

Tubeless meals soon became available for astronauts. Freeze-dried foods became common, prepared by NASA food technicians. The first actual meal on the moon was made up of rehydrated bacon, peaches, sugar cookie cubes, coffee and juice during the three-day Apollo 11 expedition in 1969. Hot dogs made it to space during the same expedition, as a "wet pack" of franks were included in the astronauts' packed lunches. Now, astronauts can even drink liquids from a special zero-gravity cup for space beverages developed by NASA. It's called a capillary cup, which gives space travelers the same open-container drinking experience they have on Earth.

Desserts, too, evolved — first, it was all freeze-dried or dehydrated items, but certain candies and chocolates were also eventually allowed. The first candy to go to space was M&M's, but many others are said to have followed: Toblerone, Dove, Ghirardelli, Kit Kat, Snickers, Reese's, Twix, Milky Way, Starbursts, and Sweet Tarts have all, in fact, been to space. Unfortunately, though, something that is still not allowed in space is beer.