Everyone gets a craving for pizza now and again, even astronauts.
That’s why, when Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli recently got a craving for pizza while abroad the International Space Station, NASA had to step in and throw him a party featuring the Italian staple.
According to a video shared by Tech Insider, the space agency sent the necessary ingredients up to the ISS (including toppings such as olives and pepperoni) and had Nespoli and his coworkers within the Expedition 53 crew make their own pizza pies. While that’s no big deal here on Earth, since there’s zero gravity in space, the astronauts’ pizza party looked a little unusual.
For starters, the pizza toppings and the pies themselves were floating in the air, making it a bit difficult to put the finishing touches on the pies. However, zero gravity also has its advantages. While making pizza on Earth can be a messy endeavor, the same activity in space bypasses the mess, since nothing can really spill on the floor.
As one social media user pointed out, “Space makes everything interesting.”
“I miss pizza all the time but @NASA hasn’t sent me anything,” quipped another. “What’s that all about?”
Tech Insider also points out that pizza is not the only food astronauts can enjoy while in space. Other staples include pudding, which can be eaten in one tall spoonful, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, which, like the pizzas, also glide through the air with remarkable ease.
