About this episode
Bronwen Wyatt explores the story of a nutritionally-fortified fruitcake designed for astronauts and its significance in space travel.
In “Fruitcake in Space,” Gravy reporter Bronwen Wyatt explores a bizarre footnote in the annals of human space travel. In 1968, a scientist at a military research facility developed a very unusual recipe: a nutritionally-fortified fruitcake designed as an emergency ration for astronauts. It might be easy to dismiss this fruitcake, but we’re here to argue that it’s part of a larger story—one that takes us from the early days of NASA’s space program to our current quest for Mars. Wyatt investigates the importance of safe preservation techniques in space, how NASA determines what food astronauts will actually eat, and why fruitcake actually makes perfect sense as an emergency ration. In an archival interview from 1966, dietician Mary Klicka at the Natick Laboratory Army Research, Development, and Engineering Center points to the unique challenges of preparing acceptable menus for long-term space travel. Wyatt speaks to Vickie Kloeris, who managed NASA’s food systems for nearly thirty years from the laboratory at Johnson Space Center in Houston, and Jennifer Levasseur, a curator specializing in food at the Air and Space Museum. Finally, retired astronaut Cady Coleman shares her…
People in this episode
Host: Bronwen Wyatt
Guests: Vickie Kloeris, Jennifer Levasseur, Cady Coleman
Topics covered
- space travel
- food in space
- NASA
- fruitcake
- emergency rations
- dietary challenges
- astronaut experiences
Keywords
- fruitcake
- NASA
- space food
- emergency rations
- dietician
- astronaut
- food systems
- long-term space travel
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Natick Laboratory Army Research, Development, and Engineering Center, NASA, Air and Space Museum
Places: Johnson Space Center
More episodes of Gravy
- Object Permanence: An Essay · June 10, 2026 · 19 min
- American Barbecue’s European Adventure · May 27, 2026 · 25 min
- Sap's Rising in Highland County, Virginia · May 13, 2026 · 20 min
- Real Organic Podcast · April 29, 2026 · 58 min
- Sniffing Out American Truffles · April 15, 2026 · 28 min
- Virginia Has the Blue Catfish Blues · April 1, 2026 · 28 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Gravy podcast page.