Craig Bailey / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Mankind began its return to the moon this week as the Artemis II launched from the Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday, April 1. And while there are plenty of variables that go into space travel, one thing is for certain: the crew won’t go hungry.
Artemis II lifted off from Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, sending the the four-person crew of Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen on the first manned moon mission since the Apollo 17 in 1972.
NASA has released the food and drink menu for the Artemis II and the crew will be eating surprisingly well
One thing that’s certainly changed since the Apollo 17 is the food the crew will be eating, as NASA has released the menu that the Artemis II crew will be able to enjoy.
According to NASA, the Artemis II is stocked with 189 unique food and drink items, including more than 10 types of beverages, five different hot sauces, and a variety of sweet treats ranging from pudding and cobbler to cake, chocolate, and cookies.
Brisket and cobbler and quiche, oh my!
Curious what astronauts eat on a 10-day trip around the Moon? Read about how we design and prepare meal plans for Artemis II: https://t.co/eVNGSQpM04 pic.twitter.com/SDRi5guFb3
— NASA (@NASA) March 31, 2026
Famed chef and philanthropist Jose Andres of the World Central Kitchen was certainly impressed with the selection:
Thank you @NASA for sharing the menu!!!! https://t.co/eWrVuIiwys
— Chef José Andrés 🕊️🥘🍳 (@chefjoseandres) April 1, 2026
After the launch, the crew had some issues with their toilet, but the problem has since been resolved. According to a press release from NASA, the crew reported a blinking fault light on Orion’s toilet ahead of the apogee raise burn, but mission control was able to asses the data and work with the crew to troubleshoot the issue.
While the crew won’t land on the lunar surface, they’ll be flying a “free-return trajectory” around the Moon and back, similar to Apollo 13, and is scheduled to fly within about 6,000 miles of the lunar surface on April 6, potentially traveling farther from Earth than any humans ever have. The previous record of 248,655 miles was infamously set by the Apollo 13 in 1970, which was dramatized in the 1995 Ron Howard-directed film.
It also boasts a historic crew as Victor Glover became the first person of color, Christina Koch the first woman, and Jeremy Hansen the first non-U.S. citizen to travel beyond low Earth orbit.