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"  We&amp;#039;ve come a long way since Tang. On July 8, 2011, the space shuttle Atlantis took its final launch, ending NASA&amp;#039;s 30-year space shuttle program. Up in that shuttle, astronauts will be celebrating the launch not with powdered ice cream or freeze-dried meals, but with wholesome, tasty meals that remind them of home. More from Delish: World&amp;#039;s First Space Beer Food has always been an important component of space flight. As reported by Yahoo News, the transcript of the conversation between Yuri Gargarin, the first man to enter space 50 years ago, and the Russian mission control center reveals that it wasn&amp;#039;t safety or space or landing back on earth that was on Yuri&amp;#039;s mind \u2014 it was whether he had enough sausage to last him on the trip back home to Moscow. Modern day astronauts are not thinking about food back on the ground. These days, they have options while they&amp;#039;re in space, thanks in part to Michele Perchonok, the shuttle food system manager. In the seven months before launch, Perchonok works with astronauts to develop menus that suit each crew member&amp;#039;s needs and desires. She even conducts taste tests. More from Delish: Travel-Safe Snacks The astronauts have 200 food items from which to choose \u2014 including candy. There is one major item missing from the list: pizza. In space, there is no refrigeration. &amp;quot;Foods in space have to be stored at room temperature,&amp;quot; Perchonok said as reported by NASA&amp;#039;s website. &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s difficult when you have too many components, like a pizza, where you have the crust and the sauce and the cheese. Each component requires different processing conditions.&amp;quot; Some of the more popularly chosen foods are shrimp cocktail and barbecued beef brisket. According to Perchonok, eggs are also very positively received. In an effort to continually spice up the menu possibilities, NASA scientists developed two to three new foods every year, such as pudding cake and apricot cobbler with real pieces of crust. Raise a glass of Tang and crack open a package of astronaut ice cream in salute to the Atlantis on its final flight! "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.delish.com/food/news/a38500/what-astronauts-eat/>