Do Astronauts Still Drink Tang In Space?

At The Takeout, we're not unfamiliar with long-forgotten yet beloved beverages of decades past, from Coca-Cola's discontinued TAB soda to Fruitopia, the drink that ruled the '90s and which remains available at some McDonald's locations in Canada. Tang, a vitamin C-packed beverage mix, has been linked to astronauts and NASA's space program since it was included on an Earth orbiting mission in 1962 and is still enjoyed at the International Space Station.

Tang was originally launched in 1957 and promoted as a breakfast drink because of its vitamin content and powdered format, though it was also available in liquid form. William A. Mitchell, the inventor of Tang, is also responsible for creating other convenient popular treats like Cool Whip, Pop Rocks, and the great mystery that is Jell-O. Despite its "healthy" persona, the main ingredients of Tang are sugar and fructose.

Tang was made and sold by General Foods, which at the time had a deal with the military to provide shelf-stable food products like instant coffee. Tang fit that bill because it could be made by just adding water, and led to NASA including it on its 1962 Mercury Mission. After this mission, General Foods began advertising Tang as the official beverage of astronauts, who referred to it as "orange drink." Considering the popularity of American space exploration in the 1960s, this was a smart move on the parent company's part.

Tang held both NASA and the American public's attention for more than a decade. The brand even sponsored ABC's broadcast of the Apollo 8 mission in 1968. However, in 2013, Buzz Aldrin, the second man to ever step foot on the moon, admitted that he disliked the taste of Tang. As he put it, "Tang sucks."

Even without the endorsement of a former man in space, Tang lives on today, both at NASA and on shelves. The drink mix is sold in around 35 countries and is most popular in Brazil, the Philippines, and Argentina. Kraft Heinz, which merged with General Foods in 1985 after the Philip Morris Company purchased both companies, distributes the drink globally through Mondelēz International. 

Nowadays Tang can be found in a wide variety of flavors, including lime, peach, strawberry, mango, lemon, and passion fruit. Many of these newer tropical flavors can be found in South America or on Amazon.com. The drink mix is also popular in the Middle East during Ramadan.

Though NASA was the first to appreciate Tang for its crystalized format, some home cooks over the years have found ways to incorporate the mix into recipes. These include a Tang creamsicle pie, Tang beer, and even a takeout-style orange chicken made with Tang. So the next time you look up into the night sky and wonder what kind of infinite knowledge other worldly beings and vast universes beyond ours might have in store for us, remember: We can offer them some Tang in return.