It’s funny how blog ideas often fall into my lap. [Warning: this is a bit longwinded, but I promise there’s a point.]
On my way to work I realized I left my purse at home. Well, sort of. Over the weekend I switched my purse twice, so therefore the purse I do have with me, is pretty much empty minus a few lipsticks and maybe one quarter (lucky me!). Most men probably don’t have this problem, but women—I’m sure you get me. I had zero time to pack my lunch this morning, so I planned on grabbing something out. With no money to pay, this makes it a bit difficult. (Will work for food!)
While I was hungrily thinking about how I didn’t bring lunch and I have no money, I remembered what I do have—my smartphone. And my favorite app—Starbucks. Thank you, technology!
So off I went, charged smartphone in hand (sans money) to Starbucks to grab something quick. I grabbed a #PowerLunch, which includes a bistro box, popcorn, fruit bar, and a water (all for $8; quite the deal if you ask me).
While back at the office I started examining the fruit bar, dubbed, “That’s it.” The packaging claims that the bar is made of one apple and 20 blueberries. That’s it. Nothing else. Naturally, I’m suspicious and don’t believe it, so I turn to google only to find out that they’re not lying, those really are the only ingredients, AND they have a space pack. As in, outer space.
Cue profound interest.
Apparently That’s it. supplies astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) with fruit bars! The bars were tested at NASA’s food lab and were cleared for launch on a cargo mission. The bars have an 18-month, lab-verified shelf life, and are resistant to temperature changes.
Astronauts have two flavors to choose from while aboard, Apple + Apricot and Apple + Banana. The bars provide astronauts with a super convenient way to get their daily intake of real fruit.
Astronauts get a certain amount of discretionary cargo allocated for their flight, where they can include non-standard food items. NASA food lab scientists then perform a routine check to see if any preservation steps need to be taken or if the food is suitable for zero-g flight.
That’s it. bars were cleared and launched into space accompanied by over 7,000 pounds of cargo, research equipment, and other supplies.
The bars are gluten-free, vegan, and kosher, and have two full servings of fruit in every bar. They’re GMO-free, made without any additives, preservatives, concentrates, purees, juices, added sugars, corn syrup, artificial coloring or flavoring. Aka they’re pure fruit. That’s it. Seriously! (Heh.)
And did I mention they’re actually really good?
Filed Under: Aerospace + defense