The Moon Mission Menu Is Super Canadian & Canada's Astronaut Expects One Food To Be A Hit
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Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen.
NASA's Artemis II mission will do more than simply send the first Canadian astronaut to the moon and back — it’ll also launch a decent spread of Canuck cuisine into space.
The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) recently revealed five foods that'll be on the menu for astronauts when they blast off for a trip around the moon next year, and one item in particular is about as Canadian as it gets.
In fact, Canada's only astronaut on the mission, Jeremy Hansen, told Narcity last year that he was hoping to get one special snack on the menu for the trip, and it seems like he's getting his wish.
"I probably will end up bringing maple cookies," Hansen told Narcity in an exclusive interview last October. He added that Reid Wiseman, one of the three NASA astronauts on the trip, is also a big fan. "He just loves maple cookies, and so just to keep him happy I'll bring some maple cookies," Hansen said. "It's a little part of Canada and it's something that I know the crew will appreciate."
The CSA revealed earlier this month that it has chosen five foods for the moon mission menu, per Space and CTV News.
Those foods are:
- Maple syrup
- Maple cream cookies
- Smoked salmon
- Strawberry lavender superseed cereal
- Shrimp curry with rise
The full menu hasn't been revealed yet but it's worth pointing out that a lot of thought goes into choices like this. You can't just stuff poutine into a space pod, because size, mass and durability are all key factors that affect the launch of the rocket itself.
The Artemis II mission was originally scheduled to launch in 2024 but has since been pushed back to next year. When it does blast off, the rocket will take Hansen and three other astronauts on a trip around the moon and back. Future Artemis missions are also expected to put a human back on the lunar surface and, if all goes well, to send people to Mars.