Apollo 16 Flown Dehydrated Orange and Pineapple Juice

Apollo 16 Flown Dehydrated Orange and Pineapple Juice

Dehydrated orange and pineapple juice flown on the Apollo 16 mission in 1972. This food was made by the Whirlpool Corporation. The drink is dehydrated and would have required the addition of cold water before drinking. Food for spaceflight was nutritious and lightweight, and for the Apollo missions it was stored without refrigeration.

Apollo space food had coloured Velcro attached, allowing it to be secured to surfaces inside the spacecraft to avoid it floating about. Three Velcro colours were used: red, white and blue - to represent the American flag. The colours were also used to denote which crew member the food was designated for. Red was for the Commander, white for the Command Module Pilot, and blue for the Lunar Module Pilot. In this case, these cornflakes have white Velcro - so they were intended for consumption by Ken Mattingly, who was making his first spaceflight.

Whirlpool Corporation were awarded the contract for making food for the Apollo missions. The company through its Space Division were able to freeze-dry food, ensuring that it retained its nutritional benefit and taste - helping to provide the necessary calorie intake for the astronauts. Freeze-drying a lot of the food on Apollo missions also removed moisture, therefore reducing weight - another benefit for space travel.

Web resources

• The History of Space Food