We’re all eagerly awaiting the launch of Artemis II, the ten-day mission that will see a crew of four astronauts fly around the far side of the moon.

The mission is a precursor to Artemis IV, which in a few years’ time will see astronauts set foot on the moon again for the first time in decades.

While Artemis II has been pushed back a couple of times due to technical difficulties and to ensure the safety of the astronauts and the capsule itself, we can expect it to launch in the coming months.

But if we’re waiting with bated breath, just think about the astronauts, who have had to enter and exit pre-mission quarantine several times now.

What a relief, you might think, to be able to spend a bit more time filling up on delicious Earth food before their mission.

But surprisingly, the food that the crew will eat during the mission sounds quite delicious – and more fancy than the stuff you’re probably going to be stuffing your face with tonight.

As explained in a NASA article, the Artemis II menu has been designed for more than just flavor. Instead, it’s intended to be safe and easy to prepare without refrigeration, whilst keeping the nutritional needs and welfare of the crew in mind, and minimising dangerous zero-gravity crumbs, too:

“On a typical mission day—excluding launch and reentry—astronauts have scheduled time for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Each astronaut is allotted two flavored beverages per day, which may include coffee. Beverage options are limited due to upmass constraints, which restrict how much food and drink can be carried onboard. Fresh foods will not be flying on Artemis II as Orion does not have refrigeration nor the late load capability required for fresh foods. Shelf-stable foods help manage food safety and quality throughout the intended shelf life in a compact, self-contained spacecraft, while also reducing the risk of crumbs or particulates in microgravity.”

Incredibly, the four crew members have sampled the menu that they will be enjoying through the mission, and provided feedback.

And with mac and cheese, quiche, brisket, flatbreads, and fruit salad amongst the diverse menu, there’s plenty to keep everyone happy.

On top of that, there’s plenty of coffee and cocoa and lots of dessert choices, with chocolate, cake and cobbler all heading into space for the crew’s consumption.

They’ve not forgotten spice lovers either, with five different hot sauces making the journey too.

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