The Strangest Food I Ever Ate: Astronaut Food

When I was a child, we were mad for all things "aerospace." The USA had put a man on the moon and a couple of years later every child sat down to a glass of Tang at the breakfast table. I was too little to know just what I was drinking (ingredients list below the jump) but it sure was cool. Even cooler were something called Space Food Sticks...

Space Food Sticks were the first power bar. They were designed to deliver astronauts a shot of energy and nutrition in the form of a small, play dough-like cylinder that would fit through the little hole in their large bubble helmets.

They we all the rage for a while, until the energy crisis hit in the mid-70's and the space program dried up. Tang survived but Space Food Sticks disappeared...until recently. It appears loyal fans have found a way to bring them back. They stock what I remember to be my favorite flavor--peanut butter-- as well as chocolate.

Check out the Funky Food Shop for Space Food Sticks as well as other 'Astronaut Food'
The Tang ingredient list
The Space Food Sticks ingredient List
The Space Food Sticks Preservation Society

(Image: Funky Food Shop)

Comments (9)

I remember having astronaut ice cream and thinking it was so cool! lol now I look at it and I'm like eww.

posted by plumeria on July 29th 2009 at 11:38am
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OMG I would never imagine they would bring these back. I LOVED Space Food Sticks as a kid and begged for them. I would love to try one to see how faulty my memory is of them being good.

posted by alexis on July 29th 2009 at 11:54am
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Hallelujah! The return of an essential convenience food! (If I recall correctly, these were briefly and unsuccessfully renamed "Food Sticks")

Now all we need is for someone to get to work on "Bachelor Kibble"

posted by wildrye.com on July 29th 2009 at 12:38pm
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OMG --

Space sticks were a healthy part of this-then-second-graders lunch in 1972...sort of the powerbar of its day.

posted by 37Rubydog on July 29th 2009 at 1:44pm
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What a great memory. You weren't "cool" unless you ate astronaut food. Space Sticks and Tang! Thanks for this!

posted by mikeinbrooklyn on July 29th 2009 at 2:02pm
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I drank Tang all the time when I was a kid. I shutter now, reading the ingredients!

posted by junklover on July 29th 2009 at 6:07pm
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Yoicks. This stuff was all available in the very heart of my childhood years. I hated Tang, even as a kid. My very picky older sister always had to have a glass of Tang in the morning, but I wanted orange juice. I also thought Space Sticks were disgusting. I preferred Tootsie Rolls!

And Astronaut Ice Cream....like eating sawdust.

posted by Charlotte on July 29th 2009 at 6:12pm
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@wildrye: Bachelor Chow...now with flavor.

posted by wunami on July 29th 2009 at 7:01pm
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I loved space food sticks growing up. My mom would put them in our stockings for Christmas mornings. We've missed them all these years.

posted by Kerstin on July 31st 2009 at 11:47am
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