Groceries on the Moon Trivia Quiz

Answer: In toothpaste tubes

Yuri Gagarin made the first space flight in 1961. While in space, he ate a lunch consisting of pureed meat and chocolate sauce, luckily in separate tubes.

Answer: a corned beef sandwich

There were several issues with Young's little prank. First, Grissom was not supposed to eat during flight. Second, crumbs can cause problems if they get into the machinery, so Grissom had to put the sandwich away. A congressional hearing was called over the "sandwich incident", and the astronauts were chastised by NASA.

Answer: scissors

Scissors were needed to open the food containers but the menu expanded to 72 different items, including shrimp cocktail, lobster Newburg, and ice cream. Skylab also included a dining room set-up where astronauts could strap in their legs and feet to have a more normal sit-down meal.

Answer: spicy

Astronauts complained of the blandness of all the food provided for them on space missions. Congestion dampens our sense of smell and consequently our sense of taste.

Answer: Apollo 11 astronauts celebrated their lunar landing with a champagne toast before turning on cameras and stepping out onto the moon.

Champagne would be difficult to include aboard a space mission for a number of reasons including carbonation and packaging. The other three anecdotes are true.

Answer: Both

NASA probably didn't want to pick favorites. However, carbonated beverages are difficult to drink in space. Microgravity prevents the liquid and gas from separating in the stomach as it normally would and causes "wet burping", or burping which includes vomiting.

Answer: False

Tang was invented in 1959, but only became popular when John Glenn was doing eating and drinking tests during his Mercury-Atlas 6 mission in 1962 (Previously, scientists thought that swallowing might be affected by gravity.). Tang contains a number of necessary vitamins, but Buzz Aldrin admitted in 2013 that "Tang sucks".

Answer: kimchi

Yi So-yeon, the first South Korean astronaut, traveled to the International Space Station on April 8, 2008, becoming the third country, after Great Britain and Iran to have a woman as its first astronaut.
Kimchi, or spicy fermented cabbage, was difficult to engineer because it had to be bacteria-free. Scientists discovered that they could radiate the kimchi and also reduce the smell to make it more palatable for the non-Koreans aboard the International Space Station.
Tea has been available for most astronauts ever since the technology to heat water was developed for the Apollo program.
Bibimbap is a rice and vegetable dish. Bulgogi is a shredded, grilled meat dish.

Answer: True

Salt and pepper cannot be sprinkled in microgravity situations. The grains would float around, get into machinery and cause malfunctions, or fly into astronauts' eyes and noses. Other condiments, like mustard, mayonnaise, and ketchup, are also provided.

Answer: Vitamin D

Iron and sodium in astronauts' diets must be carefully regulated. Iron collects in red blood cells and in space, people have fewer red blood cells. If too much iron collects in the blood, it can cause problems. Bone density is affected by sodium and vitamin D. Too much sodium can decrease bone density, and not enough vitamin D can do the same. Our bodies naturally produce vitamin D when we are exposed to sunlight, but astronauts are exposed to little or no sunlight during their missions.