With Artemis II looping around the moon, my brain did what it always does. It went straight to the weird corners of space history. This time? Tang.
Somehow, Tang lives rent-free in the mythology of early space travel. People love to say it was invented for astronauts. It wasn’t. Not even close. Tang started life in 1957 thanks to food scientist William A. Mitchell over at General Foods, and hit grocery shelves in 1959 as a quick, just-add-water breakfast drink.
Then along came NASA.
When John Glenn took it up during the Mercury and Gemini missions in 1962, Tang didn’t just go to space. It went to legend status. Sales took off like a rocket, and suddenly everyone thought astronauts were basically fueled by orange powder and ambition.
Not everyone was impressed, though. Buzz Aldrin famously said in 2013 that “Tang sucks.” That said, he admitted it had a purpose. Spacecraft water didn’t exactly taste like a mountain spring, so Tang helped mask the flavor. Not glamorous, but practical.
Back on Earth, Florence Henderson, aka Carol Brady, was out there in the late ’70s and early ’80s selling Tang as the ultimate instant breakfast. Looking back, it kind of explains the energy level in that house. Those kids were basically running on citrus-flavored rocket fuel.
Fast forward to today, and the crew on Artemis II is not exactly choking down Tang packets. They’ve got options. Coffee, green tea, lemonade, apple cider, cocoa, and even mango-peach smoothies. They’re allowed two flavored drinks a day, plus things like chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry breakfast drinks.
We’ve come a long way from powdered orange mystery juice. Still, part of me hopes there’s a stash of Tang onboard. Just for tradition.
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