Perhaps the most popular example of space food that possibly never was, astronaut ice cream is now 50 years old.
The crunchy, room temperature treat, which melts as the freeze-dried ice cream rehydrates in your mouth, was first introduced in 1974 by American Outdoor Products. According to Astronaut Foods, the brand under which the Space Age snack is still marketed, the idea came about after a NASA center requested it for its visitors.
"Our founder, Ron Smith, told Serious Eats that in 1974, 'Goddard Air and Space Museum contacted us and said that freeze-dried ice cream was used by the space program," reads a June 27 blog post on the Astronaut Foods website. "They wanted to know if we could make it so they could sell it in their gift shop.' And we said, 'Sure, we'll try it.'"
