What Are Artemis II Astronauts Eating in Space? Breaking Down the Menu

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The astronauts amid the Artemis II mission have the finest of fuel. 

Now that the Orion spacecraft is well into its ten-day trip to the moon following its launch on April 1st, the four astronauts onboard have likely already enjoyed some meals. Despite living in a relatively small space – just 187 square feet – they have a good variety of food options available to them.

NASA announced that the four astronauts – Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen – will have a huge selection of 189 different food items to choose from, including a variety of options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

According to NASA, the crew will have plenty to eat and drink! They’ve packed 58 tortillas and enough for 43 cups of coffee. Beyond that, there are nine other drink choices, like green tea, a strawberry-chocolate-vanilla breakfast drink, lemonade, apple cider, cocoa, pineapple juice, and a mango-peach smoothie.

Astronauts have a variety of food options, including wheat tortillas, vegetable quiche, breakfast sausage, couscous with nuts, mango salad, granola with blueberries, beef brisket, various nuts, broccoli au gratin, macaroni and cheese, and spicy green beans – and that’s just a start!

We also have a wide variety of desserts to choose from, like candied almonds, cake, chocolate, cobbler, cookies, and pudding.

The food on the Orion spacecraft won’t be truly fresh. NASA explained that Orion doesn’t have a refrigerator or the ability to add fresh food right before launch. Everything packed for the crew had to be non-perishable and able to be stored at room temperature.

Besides a few differences, meals will be similar to what we eat on Earth. The crew will have scheduled times for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and each person can enjoy two flavored drinks daily, like coffee.

The astronauts on the Artemis II mission got to help pick what they’d eat during their ten-day flight, trying out different foods long before liftoff.

Beyond its extensive food options, the Artemis II mission will be the first to include a functional toilet. Astronauts on the earlier Apollo missions in the 1970s had to use waste bags instead, according to the New York Times.

Canadian astronaut Jeremy recently shared a video tour of the spacecraft, and highlighted a surprisingly appreciated feature: a toilet with a door. He explained that it’s the only place on the mission where the crew can truly have a moment of privacy.

Right now, everyone is focused on the Artemis II mission, but it’s easy to forget that astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams once faced a major challenge at the International Space Station. What was planned as an eight-to-ten-day trip ended up lasting nine months! Here’s a look back at what caused the extended stay…

On June 5, 2024, astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore blasted off to the International Space Station aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. They intend to spend about eight days there. Soon after launch, the astronauts noticed a small, contained leak in the spacecraft’s plumbing system, according to the Associated Press.

Although the initial leak didn’t worsen during their trip to the International Space Station, four new leaks appeared, and five of the spacecraft’s engines stopped working. They successfully connected to the ISS, but knew their mission would probably take more than eight days to complete.

Two months after a problem-filled launch, NASA revealed that two astronauts were stranded in space. The space agency was still assessing whether the Starliner spacecraft was safe to fly again, while Boeing insisted it should be. In a statement to TopMob News, Boeing said they would adjust the Starliner for an unmanned return if NASA decided to alter the mission.

Former NASA official Scott Hubbard reassured the public about astronauts Wilmore and Williams’ situation, telling the Associated Press they weren’t in serious trouble. He explained that, having both flown in space before, they simply had a temporary issue and had enough supplies and tasks to keep them occupied.

Once NASA announced that astronauts Williams and Wilmore would come back to Earth on a SpaceX spacecraft in either February or March – instead of trying to repair the Starliner – their families shared their reactions.

In August, Deanna Wilmore, wife of Wilmore, shared with WVLT how her family was coping with their difficult situation, saying they were simply trying to stay flexible and prepared for anything.

Naomi Williams’ husband, Michael, said he believes she would enjoy a longer time in space, telling The Wall Street Journal that space is where she’s happiest.

As they neared the six-month mark of their mission, astronauts Williams and Wilmore described how they planned to celebrate Thanksgiving while living on the International Space Station.

Astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli told NBC Nightly News on November 27th that the crew on the International Space Station has Thanksgiving-themed food packed for the holiday, including smoked turkey, cranberry sauce, apple cobbler, green beans with mushrooms, and mashed potatoes.

Williams also confirmed that she and Wilmore were doing well despite being in space for a long time.

She reassured people who were concerned, saying, “Don’t worry about us! We’re doing well – staying active, eating healthy, and actually having a lot of fun up here.”

Oh my gosh, you won’t BELIEVE it! They’ve been up there for SIX months already – six months! – and NASA just announced they’re staying even longer! I was already counting down the days until February when they were supposed to come home, but now there are delays with the SpaceX mission that’s going to bring them back. It’s looking like March or April now! I’m so excited they get more time in space, but I’m also dying waiting for them to return safely. Every extra moment is amazing, though!

In February, President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that astronauts Williams and Wilmore were “virtually abandoned” in space during their unexpectedly extended mission. The astronauts later publicly disagreed with the president’s statement.

In an interview with Anderson Cooper on February 13th, Wilmore emphasized that they don’t feel forgotten, helpless, or isolated. They stated they are well-prepared and fully dedicated to their work.

Williams interjected during the interview that the pair were “doing pretty darn good, actually.”

We have everything we need up here – food, clothes, and a fantastic team,” she said. “Our stay was a bit longer than planned, but we’re both trained to live and work on the International Space Station, and I think we really made the best of it.”

In the interview, Wilmore and Williams announced they will return to Earth on SpaceX’s Dragon capsule, which is scheduled to launch on March 12th.

According to Wilmore, the next crew will arrive, connect with the station, and take over operations. This handover period will last roughly a week, after which they expect to return to Earth around March 19th.

Shortly before her father was scheduled to come home, Daryn Wilmore shared her thoughts on his time in space and the reasons for the delays in his return to Earth.

She described the situation as “mentally exhausting” in a March 6 interview with the Daily Mail. She explained that ongoing problems and negligence have repeatedly caused delays, with one issue following another.

Daryn said her father was disappointed, but otherwise doing well on the International Space Station, and noted that he’s a very resilient person.

Wilmore and Williams returned to Earth safely on March 18th after spending nine months in space. Following a splashdown off the Florida coast, the NASA astronauts, along with NASA crewmate Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, were carried from the spacecraft on stretchers. This is a typical procedure for returning astronauts, as they often have difficulty walking immediately after being in space.

According to former NASA senior scientist John DeWitt, many astronauts don’t want to be carried out on stretchers after a flight, but they are often required to be.

Astronaut Wilmore’s daughter, Daryn, shared what the first few days back on Earth will likely be like for the returning crew.

In a TikTok video posted on March 18th, she explained that he’ll be undergoing medical tests for the next few days. This is because astronauts are still considered part of the ongoing research into the effects of space travel. He’s also adjusting back to life on Earth and getting used to gravity and a normal routine after being in space for the last nine months.

When the astronauts returned to Earth after spending an additional eight months in space, NASA clarified whether they would receive overtime pay.

NASA confirmed to People magazine that astronauts on the International Space Station earn a standard 40-hour workweek salary. However, they don’t receive extra pay for overtime, holidays, or weekends.

An astronaut working a standard 40-hour week can earn between $84,365 and $152,258 per year, based on the government’s GS-11 to GS-14 pay grades.

After a long wait, Daryn was finally reunited with her father, Butch, and she shared how she felt about seeing him again.

She’s baking her boyfriend’s favorite dessert, pecan pie, and has made a list of all his favorite things and shared memories. She hopes to do those things with him while he visits before she returns to college, or during his future visits in the coming months.

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2026-04-02 19:19