Vacuum Packed M&Ms
Vacuum Packed M&Ms
This vacuum sealed packet of chocolate M&Ms was flown on board the shuttle Atlantis with the crew of STS-112 - Jeff Ashby, Pam Melroy, Sandra Magnus, David Wolf, Piers Sellers and Fydor Magnus. STS-112 was the ninth assembly mission to the International Space Station. The mission's main payload was the S1 truss segment, which was manoeuvred into place using the ISS robotic arm.The green dot on the label enables the astronauts to easily identify who the item belongs to. Each crew member is assigned a colour and their food items are marked accordingly. The barcode on the label is then used to log each item of food when it is eaten. This information is used back on Earth to help shape future food lists. There is also a blue Velcro tab on the top left, allowing the package to be affixed to the wall whilst in space to avoid it floating about.
M&Ms have long been a familiar snack for astronauts, though NASA refers to them as "candy-coated chocolates" due to their policy against endorsing commercial brands. They are an ideal treat for zero gravity as they are bite-sized, do not crumble and also provide a source of entertainment! Many astronauts have found amusement in releasing the candies and eating them mid-air, including the crew of STS-112.
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More information
Object number
2003-7
Location
Into Space Gallery
Has this object been into space?
Yes
Dimension - Dimension, Value, Measurement unit
Length: 5.0cm
Width: 5.0cm
Material
Plastic
Velcro
Materials & techniques note
M & Ms - chocolate, sugar and corn syrup candy shells
Object Production Date
Circa 2002
Object Production Organisation
Mars, Incorporated
Object Production Place
New Jersey
United States
Credit Line
Donated by Piers Sellers
On Display Status
On display
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