Artemis II crew reveals what snack they ate right after splashdown

Artemis astronauts describe ‘spectacular’ lunar mission, eating peanut M&Ms after landing 06:59

Although times have changed since the early days of dehydrated ice cream, astronaut food is notoriously bland. It is also designed not to contain crumbs, as these could float all over the capsule.

But candy is no problem.

When the Artemis II crew returned to Earth, the first thing they ate — before being rescued from their capsule — was peanut M&Ms, Commander Reid Wiseman said Friday during a “CBS Mornings” town hall, “Artemis II: A Celebration of Heroes.” Wiseman and fellow astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover and Jeremy Hansen answered students’ questions about their historic mission during the event.

“When we landed, we dove into the Pacific Ocean, waiting for the rescue forces to open the hatch, and Christina, reaching out from the pocket of her spacesuit, said, ‘I have some peanut M&Ms, anyone want some?'” Wiseman said, drawing laughter from the crew and the children at City Hall. “And so we’re leaning against the side of the spaceship, just back from the moon, eating peanut M&Ms; we were happy.”

This wasn’t the only time food was a topic of discussion during spaceflight.

People on Earth couldn’t help but notice a jar of Nutella floating in the capsule just minutes before the four astronauts set the record for the farthest distance a human has ever traveled from Earth.

The pot was seen floating just behind Koch’s head in the photo.

NASA confirmed that it was definitely not product placement, but Nutella’s owner, the Ferrero Group, still liked to bask in the (moon) glow.

“Honored to have traveled further than any spread in history 🚀 Taking smiles to new heights,” the company wrote on X, adding: “We have traveled to many breakfast tables. Never one like this.”

Eating in space

Turns out the crew said the food wasn’t that bad during the mission.

Wiseman said the crew enjoyed talking with the International Space Station team on the way back to Earth for a very specific reason.

“On the seventh day of the flight, we had a link to the International Space Station,” he said. “It was one of our favorite days and the best part about this call was that we all ate the same food.”

When asked what food they enjoyed on the trip, Wiseman and Glover enthusiastically listed spicy green beans, broccoli au gratin, and fajitas among the meal options.