Overview
- NASA detailed a fixed, crew‑specific menu designed to support health and performance on the lunar flyby, with two to three days of meals for each astronaut packed together for flexibility.
- With no resupply, refrigeration or late‑load capability on Orion, all items are shelf‑stable and easy to prepare and eat in microgravity while minimizing crumbs and waste.
- Menus are phase‑specific because Orion’s potable water dispenser is unavailable during launch and landing, requiring ready‑to‑eat options then, with rehydratable and warmed meals used during transit.
- The four astronauts sampled and rated options during preflight testing, balancing personal preferences with nutrition and Orion’s strict mass, volume and power limits.
- Media tallies highlight familiar choices including smoothies, tortillas, barbecue beef brisket, mango salad and macaroni and cheese, with about 43 cups of coffee for the mission and five hot sauces, and some outlets report 58 tortillas and a 189‑item manifest; NASA is targeting an April launch window.