Winning Canadian foods to fly in space

CSA | August 28, 2012

Estimated reading time 2 minutes, 28 seconds.

A year ago, the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) invited Canadians to suggest their favourite regional foods as part of the “Canadian Snacks for Space” contest. Today, CSA announced the Canadian foods and names of the winners who will have their treats flown to the International Space Station (ISS) to be included on Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield’s menu.

150 entries were received from participants across our nation, including Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. Of these entries, 39 Canadians suggested the same 12 Canadian foods that were selected. A draw was done to pick one name for each food item. The 12 winners will receive Expedition 34/35 memorabilia and a signed photograph of astronaut Hadfield.

“On an in-orbit mission, snacks can be a great morale booster,” said Hadfield. “Sharing this food will not only lift our spirits, but it will also give me the chance to tell the crew a little bit about the diversity and richness of the natural and cultural landscapes of Canada.”

Approximately one year before launch, Hadfield met with NASA and CSA nutrition experts to determine his space menu. Together they reviewed personal preferences and nutritional value requirements for a hard day’s work in orbit. Just like on Earth, astronauts eat three times a day and have one or two snacks daily.

During Expedition 34/35, Hadfield’s Canadian snacks will include candied wild smoked salmon, smoked salmon pate, cranberry buffalo stix, cereal, dried apple chunks, fruit bars, green tea cookies with orange zest, maple syrup cookies, organic chocolate, honey drops, chocolate bars and maple syrup.

The Canadian treats will be delivered to the Space Station in multiple shipments. The first shipment will be aboard the SpaceX-1 scheduled to launch in the fall of 2012 before Hadfield arrives to the ISS. The second shipment should be sent on an automated resupply spacecraft in December 2012. Hadfield will be part of the crew to operate Canadarm2 to capture this vehicle thus retrieving his own Canadian snacks.

For more information on the Snacks for Space contest or for the names of the winners, visit the CSA website.

Notice a spelling mistake or typo?

Click on the button below to send an email to our team and we will get to it as soon as possible.

Report an error or typo

Have a story idea you would like to suggest?

Click on the button below to send an email to our team and we will get to it as soon as possible.

Suggest a story

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *