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Bacon - The First Meal Eaten on the Moon - Photo: Simply Recipes

Bacon Was The First Meal Eaten on the Moon

When you’re an astronaut, food options are somewhat limited during missions into space. You can’t exactly order in, and meals have to be preserved and then reconstituted when you’re finally ready to eat them. Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin knew that all too well, and their historic mission to the Moon included some equally historic meals that were downright strange.

The duo enjoyed at least two meals during their brief stay on the lunar surface, the first coming before the astronauts left the safety of the lunar module to explore the surface. That meal, which was technically the first meal enjoyed by humans on the Moon, sounds a bit like something a hungry college student might eat when funds are running low.

The first meal on the Moon included bacon (in squares), cubes of sugar cookie, a fruit drink, and coffee. Not exactly an epic feast for a couple of guys about to make scientific history, but when you’re in space you have to work with what you’re given, as BGR cites.

After leaving the lunar module to set foot on the Moon, collect samples and performing a few other important tasks, the astronauts returned to their tiny home, repressurized, and enjoyed another meal. This time, the two enjoyed “cocktail sausages and fruit punch.”

Today, the food choices for space travelers is still limited, but things have gotten a lot better. These days, scientists living in space aboard the International Space Station get to enjoy meals that are closer to what they’re used to back on Earth, including seasonal treats like Christmas dinner with turkey, candied yams, and fruitcake.

The First Moon Meal was Not the First Food

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Photo: Parade

According to Buzz Aldrin, the official schedule included a lot of downtime and preparation after the initial landing. Landing on the moon is not like taking a trip to the Grand Canyon. You don’t pull up, jump out of the vehicle and start snapping pictures. The mission allowed more time than was deemed actually necessary to get ready for the first lunar walk. It was during that time that Aldrin ate the first food on the moon.

Buzz Aldrin ate the first food on the moon before the pair at the bacon meal. Specifically, he took communion and ate a wafer representing the ‘body of Christ.’ Aldrin had wanted to do something to mark the occasion and there have been much said about this decision. However, should it rate as the first meal eaten on the moon? I think not. It could be considered the first food, but it was not intended for sustenance and it certainly could never rate as a meal. You can read more about this on snopes, according to Culinarylore.

On July 20, 1969, American astronaut Neil Armstrong famously said “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” when he and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to ever land on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission. The U.S. government mission aimed to have the first manned lunar landing, which was a critical milestone for technology and history in the mid 20th century.
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