Nutella Makes a Surprise Appearance on Artemis II Space Mission

The astronauts of Artemis II (that's a Roman numeral 2) weren’t the only things setting space records on Monday (April 6). Nutella became the first spread to make a cameo appearance 252,752 miles from Earth.

The Ferrero Group hazelnut spread weightlessly floated by as the astronauts were being watched on live video shortly before their ship slipped behind the moon. Without a direct sight line to Earth, they lost communication, as expected, with NASA Mission Control for 40 minutes. But not before Nutella’s own space flight.

Starting with its back to the camera, the jar of Nutella floated and slowly rotated until, near the middle of the screen and just behind Astronaut Christina Koch’s head, it gave a clear glimpse of its label.

Ferrero undoubtedly was thrilled. NASA swears it was not a paid product placement. You can catch it yourself starting at the 54:44 mark of this 10-hour video that NASA posted on Youtube.

NASA also posted a Youtube video in which the crew shows what their dehydrated food looks like (after they demonstrate CPR-in-space).

NASA did tell us: "The Artemis II crew has access to 189 unique menu items during their mission, including 10 different beverages like coffee and smoothies. Common food items include tortillas, nuts, barbeque beef brisket, cauliflower, macaroni and cheese, butternut squash, cookies, and chocolate. Food flying aboard Artemis II is designed to support crew health and performance during the mission around the Moon. Menu selections are developed with space food experts and the crew to balance calorie needs, hydration, and nutrient intake while accommodating individual preferences."