Ice cream is a blend of milk, cream, sugar, and sometimes other ingredients, that has been frozen into a soft, creamy pleasure using special techniques. It becomes commonplace since the widespread use of refrigeration; however, it has been a popular delicacy for hundreds of years. The bursting popularity of ice cream has led to many ice cream variations comprising frozen custard, frozen yogurt, and even non-dairy versions made with ingredients like coconut milk.
We’ve all ever tasted usual ice cream, but what about freeze-dried ice cream? What is it, and how is it made?
What Is Freeze-Dried Ice Cream?
Freeze-dried ice cream, also called “Astronaut Ice Cream,” is a type of delicious snack first developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for astronauts to eat in space. Freeze-dried ice cream is nearly light as air and dry to the touch, cannot melt, and does not require refrigeration or preparation, because it is completely dehydrated. It’s easy to eat by hand and won’t make a mess. Astronauts first used this freeze-dried ice cream on the Apollo missions of the 1960s and 70s, but nobody knows, is it still used on space flights today or not. Most probably not, however nowadays it is also accessible in many science museum gift stores and similar novelty shops.
How Is It Made?
We make our freeze-dried ice cream (it is called “Moonix”) at our facility by hand. First, real ice cream is made from scratch using local ingredients whenever we can. Then the ice cream is freeze-dried and shaped into bite-size pieces using unique technology. Freeze-dried ice cream is light, does not have to be refrigerated, is not perishable, melts in your mouth, and tastes like real ice cream. That’s why it could be sent to space for astronauts.
Did Astronauts Eat Freeze-Dried Ice Cream?
Any space-lover can tell you why everyone has heard of freeze-dried ice cream because astronauts love to eat it. The Whirlpool Corporation developed freeze-dried ice cream under contract to NASA for the Apollo missions, also known as space ice cream or astronaut ice cream. But it was most likely never actually used on any space missions.
In 2016, journalist Phil Edwards dived through official NASA transcripts looking for any mention of freeze-dried ice cream in space. He never found any proof. According to most stories, the Apollo 7 mission was the only mission to have had freeze-dried ice cream. He also talked to Walt Cunningham, the sole surviving member of that crew. He said he “never had the stuff.” Jennifer Levasseur, the museum curator at the National Air and Space Museum, believing freeze-dried ice cream likely never flew in any actual missions. It is her opinion that it was evolved and tested on the ground but, eventually, ended up being rejected for flight.
So how did freeze-dried ice cream become synonymous with space travel? Years after the Apollo mission, museum gift shops started marketing freeze-dried ice cream as astronaut ice cream, and it didn’t take long for the freeze-dried treat to be conjoined with floating astronauts in space. However, just because Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong never ate freeze-dried ice cream doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy this crunchy, delicious snack.
Why We Love It?
Our Moonix freeze-dried ice cream is made not only with the help of unique technologies, but it also has a lot of different flavors, such as Cotton Candy, Mint Chocolate Chip, Banana, Chocolate, Coffee, Black Raspberry, Maple Walnut, Coconut, Vanilla, Strawberry, Caramel, Bubble Gum, Neapolitan, Best Seller Variety, Neapolitan Variety, Banana Split Variety, Fruit & Nut Variety, Party Variety, and Party Junior Variety. Also, if you want, you can build your own.
Besides a vast list of different flavors, this freeze-dried ice cream also has various sizes, such as individual, 5 ct, 10 ct, 25 ct, and 100 ct.
Try it and love it! Moonix is wheat and egg-free, and it is hand made from scratch. Expect taste and texture to be different from the regular mass-produced Astronaut Ice Cream. 100% Satisfaction guarantee. Love it or your money back!