flipOrange powdered drink, space ration style
Orange powdered drink, space ration style
Why this dish? The powdered orange drink, vitamin-enriched and stable, became inseparable from the American space program of the 1960s. Light to transport, easy to reconstitute with onboard water, this type of beverage accompanied Shepard-era missions and hydrated the crews.
A sparkling fresh orange drink, reconstituted from a vitamin powder — the 'space juice' to mix yourself, sweet-tart and full of zest.
We weren't going to load crates of oranges into a capsule, you can imagine! So we had this orange powder: a little water, shake it, and there's your morning juice at ten thousand miles an hour. It wasn't the Florida grove, I'll grant you, but when you're floating up there, that little tangy taste sets your head straight. Kids loved it when they learned we drank the same in space.
- •Vitamin-enriched orange drink powder — a few spoonfuls (flavored and sweetened base)
- •Water — a glass (reconstitution)
Orange powdered drink, space ration style
A sparkling fresh orange drink, reconstituted from a vitamin powder — the 'space juice' to mix yourself, sweet-tart and full of zest.
Why this dish? The powdered orange drink, vitamin-enriched and stable, became inseparable from the American space program of the 1960s. Light to transport, easy to reconstitute with onboard water, this type of beverage accompanied Shepard-era missions and hydrated the crews.
We weren't going to load crates of oranges into a capsule, you can imagine! So we had this orange powder: a little water, shake it, and there's your morning juice at ten thousand miles an hour. It wasn't the Florida grove, I'll grant you, but when you're floating up there, that little tangy taste sets your head straight. Kids loved it when they learned we drank the same in space.
Ingredients (period version)
- Vitamin-enriched orange drink powder — a few spoonfuls (flavored and sweetened base)
- Water — a glass (reconstitution)
Ingredients
- Orange juice (or commercial orange drink powder) — 200 ml juice (citrus base)
- Sugar — 1 teaspoon (to taste) (roundness)
- Lemon juice — a few drops (tangy liveliness)
- Sparkling water — 100 ml (effervescence (optional))
- Ice cubes — as desired (coolness)
Method
- Mix the orange juice with a little sugar and a few drops of lemon, stir well to dissolve.
- Top with sparkling water for a fizzy touch if desired.
- Pour over ice cubes.
- Serve immediately, ideally in a ration-style cup for the atmosphere.
How it was made : Vitamin-enriched powdered drinks gained fame thanks to the space race: packaged in sachets, they mixed with available onboard water and provided sugars and vitamin C without the weight or fragility of fresh fruit. Their image has remained associated with 1960s astronauts.
The contemporary twist : Serve it in a straw pouch like a space ration, or in an 'orbit' version with a scoop of orange sorbet floating in it.
Sources : NASA History Office — food for Mercury and Gemini programs · Bourland, Charles T. & Vogt, Gregory A., 'The Astronaut's Cookbook', Springer, 2010
Alan Shepard · Charactorium
