Mustard in Space

When we think of space travel, we often picture astronauts like Sunita Williams floating in zero gravity, gazing at Earth through tiny portholes, and eating food from silver pouches. After her recent return from the International Space Station (ISS), where she logged over 322 days in orbit, Williams reminded us of the quirky realities of life beyond our atmosphere, like how even the simplest Earthly comforts (say, a spoonful of spicy mustard) become cosmic luxuries.

Does that make you wonder - could mustard make its way into the final frontier?

Spoiler alert: it already has.

The Problem with Condiments in Microgravity

In space, everything floats—including your food. Traditional condiments like ketchup, mayonnaise, or mustard can quickly become airborne hazards. Imagine globs of mustard drifting across the International Space Station (ISS), ready to splatter on sensitive electronics or, worse, into someone’s eye.

Condiments like ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise are given their own special dispensers onboard the shuttle. Salt and pepper don’t even exist in their usual form—salt is dissolved in water, and pepper is suspended in oil, to prevent stray granules from floating around and causing chaos.

Food Logistics: Mustard’s Journey to the Stars

Believe it or not, about a month before launch, all the food—including that crucial mustard—is packed and stored in refrigerated lockers at Johnson Space Center. Three weeks before launch, it’s sent to Kennedy Space Center in Florida and loaded into the shuttle just two or three days before liftoff.

Astronauts get three meals a day plus snacks, totaling around 3.8 pounds of food per astronaut per day (including packaging). To prepare for emergencies, there's even a “Safe Haven” backup food system with enough calories to sustain the crew for an extra three weeks.

Why Mustard Matters

While it might seem trivial, condiments like mustard play a surprisingly important role in space missions. Long-duration missions—such as potential journeys to Mars—can lead to what's called “menu fatigue.” Eating the same types of food every day can reduce an astronaut’s appetite, mood, and overall performance.

Enter mustard.

Mustard offers a tangy, sharp flavor that can cut through the monotony of rehydrated or processed meals. It’s also relatively shelf-stable and doesn’t rely on sugar or heavy fats, making it a good candidate for space food systems.

Plus, mustard contains turmeric (in the classic yellow variety), which has been studied for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties—bonus points for astronaut health!

Mustard, the Crop: Space Agriculture in Action

Beyond the squeeze pouch, mustard is also making a name for itself as a space crop.At the International Space Station (ISS), mizuna mustard greens are being grown as part of NASA’s VEG-04 study, which is testing the feasibility of space farming. Inside a specialized botany facility called VEGGIE, plants are grown using pillow-like containers instead of soil, and under red-to-blue LED lighting that supports optimal photosynthesis.

Astronauts harvest and consume some of the crops, while others are frozen and returned to Earth for analysis. The idea? Help crews become more self-sufficient on deep space missions, like trips to Mars, by giving them access to fresh, nutritious greens—and a psychological boost that only something crunchy and living can provide.

The station has also seen harvests of Amara mustard and extra dwarf pak choi as part of the Veg-03 study. Meanwhile, astronaut Soichi Noguchi has watered fast-growing Asian herbs used in traditional medicine and food flavoring, showcasing the global, multicultural approach to growing food in orbit.

The Final Journey

So yes—mustard can (and does) go to space. From being packed weeks before launch to growing fresh aboard the ISS, mustard is helping astronauts stay nourished, sane, and satisfied.

Whether it’s adding a tangy kick to a rehydrated taco or sprouting under LED lights 250 miles above Earth, mustard proves one thing: even in space, flavor matters.