Astronauts Can Finally Enjoy a Proper Spot of Tea in Space

Today, British astronaut Tim Peake and two of his colleagues successfully launched and landed at the International Space Station, marking the start of their six-month mission. Aside from his duties, Peake will run a marathon while he's up there. And now, thanks to world-renowned chef Heston Blumenthal, he'll be able to have a proper cuppa while he recovers from the race.

Earlier this year, Blumenthal was asked to develop seven space-ready dishes that would remind Peake of the cuisine of his home country while on the ISS. The menu is still a work in progress, but the goodies are set to include Christmas pudding, a bacon sarnie, and a spot of tea. In the past, astronauts have had to make do with adding hot water to a sealed pouch to brew their tea, making it impossible to remove the bag. Blumenthal solved this issue by creating a mechanism that jettisons the tea bag into a separate pouch before it gets too strong. Between this tea and the sippable espresso, astronauts may finally get as caffeinated as they deserve to be. 

All food consumed aboard the ISS must conform to NASA’s strict regulations to make it suitable for zero gravity, so Blumenthal was forced to dig into his molecular gastronomy background when creating his menu. His work will be presented in a 90-minute documentary premiering in Britain on Channel 4 next spring.