Anyone else remember this?

I remember asking my dad to buy it for at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. He said I wouldn’t like, but I was persistent. He tried to talk me into getting other souvenirs, but I was persistent. It was gross and I should’ve gotten something else,

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Hopeful_Method5175@reddit

They still have it at Kennedy Space Center.

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Teripid@reddit

Knowing your kids are making the wrong choice and letting them do it is part of the learning process.

Also gotta pick your battles. The real fun thing is trying new food mixed with not wanting things touching and other kid preferences.

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Zeqhanis@reddit

Definitely something to suck on, rather than bite into.

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Porcupine__Racetrack@reddit

My kid just bought some there!!

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wytewydow@reddit

Kansas Cosmosphere in Hutchinson.

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SWGlassPit@reddit

Goated museum right there

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melissa_fornow@reddit

As of the last time I was there (2019) they sold this at the gift shop for "Mission: Space" in Epcot.

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ChickenAndTelephone@reddit

They're still selling it at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum in DC as of last week

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StaceyPfan@reddit

I saw it at the Air and Space Museum in DC on a school trip but didn't buy any.

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RustyAndEddies@reddit

I did and ate it on the flight home. You missed out on the best-tasting chalk of your life.

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yodellingllama_@reddit

Come now. Surely Necco wafers are a superior version of edible chalk.

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kyraeus@reddit

Mine was Wallops flight facility every year when we visited Chincoteague off the coast of Virginia.

'Wait a minute, we get to go to the beach, and spend the last day of our vacation on the boardwalk at Ocean City at the arcade, AND I get to visit the place they do rocket launches and stuff from? AND I get astronaut ice cream?' fuck yeah I did.

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Individual_Sky_4612@reddit

I low key love the wallops island visitor center. There had been talk of it closing last year but I think it’s still open

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kyraeus@reddit

Yeah, I was just looking to check when it's open. I think they cut the timeframe it's open because it's currently only th-sat 10am-3pm and I distinctly remember it being open all week back in the 80s/90s

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Turbografx-17@reddit

Stennis Space Center in Mississippi too.

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_Amalthea_@reddit

Growing up I thought this was just my city's science museum. TIL it was every city's science museum.

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Kellzy1212@reddit

Tastes like Kennedy Space Center field trips.(I was a Florida kid)

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sdcasurf01@reddit

Haha, exactly!

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Doctor_WhyBother86@reddit

I live near NASA in Houston. My kid loves these things.

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LlewellynSinclair@reddit

Tastes like my 5th grade field trip to NASA’s Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville.

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RoyalEagle0408@reddit

Whenever I take a trip and we go to the science museum I get myself a little treat of astronaut ice cream.

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both-shoes-off@reddit

Literally thought "Boston Museum of Science".

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grumpi-otter@reddit

YES! The Smithsonian

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FIContractor@reddit

I was gonna say chalk, but yours is more poetic.

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myclmyers@reddit

Yeah, you can still buy these at your cities science museum.

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322throwaway1@reddit

They are also a common backpacking dessert. Mountain House foods makes them.

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mmm_unprocessed_fish@reddit

Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago. Also, Adler Planetarium, but we went to the MSI way more often.

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S1ayer@reddit

oh yeah, I got these at the Liberty Science Center

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EffectiveCycle@reddit

The Air Force Museum in Dayton

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SelectEntertainer360@reddit

Houston Museum of Natural Science field trips!

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Groovy-Davey@reddit

Yup! Right on.

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Yaasss_Queef@reddit

Agreed, it’s my favorite to buy at the Academy of Science museum

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MyNameCannotBeSpoken@reddit

Always been overpriced, but yummy

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FoppyRETURNS@reddit

Exactly

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t_bone_stake@reddit

Tastes like your mom’s city’s science museum

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_TheShapeOfColor_@reddit

Lmao yuuuup

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spanishpeanut@reddit

I loved those. So much.

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edwardturnerlives@reddit

I have a mildly amusing story about astronaut ice cream. I was over at my buddy's house playing Atari because his mom wouldn't get him a Nintendo. Anyway, I was in his room while he was going to the bathroom and I noticed on his desk that he had some astronaut ice cream. It was in a foil pack and had the NASA logo on the front. I took a little chunk of it and chewed it up and it was absolutely horrible. When he came back I told him it was the worst astronaut ice cream I've ever had. He quickly informed me it was not astronaut ice cream, but actually a piece of the heat shield from the space shuttle.

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Lucky-Development-15@reddit

The heat shield on the shuttle are individual silica tiles 1-5" thick. Bullshit.

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edwardturnerlives@reddit

Go look up "space shuttle buran heat shield" on ebay. Sorry my memory angered you so much

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OrcasAreAssholes@reddit

I had to google that and now I’m laughing even harder I can actually kinda see why you thought it was the astronaut ice cream. Thank you for sharing this wonderful story

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Honest_Possible6192@reddit

https://youtube.com/watch?v=gpYxS4lYG_4&si=9_Co_GimCFI6SL8h

Not necessarily 🤷

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g2g079@reddit

Bad link

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muricabrb@reddit

That's what you get for eating other people's random stuff lol.

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OmegaRainicorn@reddit

One thing I love about our generation is the little details we feel are important to the story.

“playing Atari 7800 because his mom wouldn’t get him a Nintendo.”

Not having a Nintendo says a lot about how your parents felt about you, and what kind of life you lead.

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davepars77@reddit

What if my dad got me a Commodore 64 for Christmas instead of Nintendo?

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kyraeus@reddit

Mine did first too. Given I got a Nintendo later in life (like a year later) but he wanted to try to get me into computers at an early age. It worked, suffice to say.

Then again, this is also the kind of father that when I went to college for a networking program, he said 'cant let the boy know more than me' and proceeded to learn MOST of what I was being taught by himself on the internet in the early days.

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The-Crawling-Chaos@reddit

I find that incredible. It m jealous.

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scalyblue@reddit

The 7800 came out 3 years into the nes life though

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The-Crawling-Chaos@reddit

My bad, that should have read 2600. Corrected now.

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kyraeus@reddit

Yeah, I'm decidedly grateful. I was born in 80, when he was 18. So he got me that probably in either 84 or 85, I forget exactly which. I THINK 86 was the nes. Later I remember myself and my stepbrother got a genesis, because I remember playing sonic 1 on the picture in picture of the fancy TV he got himself that year (probably mid 90s) because he was watching football. Then I think my stepbrother got the SNES later, which we kind of just shared.

Dad was kind of big on games with us up through the SNES and some stuff on the PC later in the 00s, I remember him playing ff6 with us on SNES, and he used to love a lot of the sniper style shooters on pc that weren't twitch-type fps.

The man ingrained my love of gaming at the arcade down in Ocean City MD on our vacations with Tron cabinets, and pacman and others at the local pool hall, Id play and he'd shoot pool. It was very 80s.

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yzerizef@reddit

It seems we have the same dad!

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David_Summerset@reddit

My dad worked for Atari 😂 Nintendo was banned through the PS2 era

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pro-bison@reddit

That was somehow the funniest part of the whole story for me.

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SirGothamHatt@reddit

I asked for a Nintendo in the early 90s. My dad came home with a used Atari 5200 someone gave him. It only came with 2 game: Pac-man and Ms Pac-man. My grandparents got me an NES about a year later.

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Cool_Dark_Place@reddit

I dunno... they didn't have a Nintendo... but they had an actual piece of the space shuttle's heat shield, which is pretty awesome! I guess you win some, loose some.

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OmegaRainicorn@reddit

It’s great until your friend eats it! Good friends would never eat your Nintendo.

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arcxjo@reddit

Tell me about it.

Or rather, tell that bastard Luke.

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Educational-Wing2042@reddit

Good friends would never eat your space shuttle heat shield either. Not all friends are good, some get especially hungry

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arcxjo@reddit

That story started off good, but I was not prepared for it to get asbestos it did.

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Honest_Possible6192@reddit

I mean….i don’t hate it 😆

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rythmicjea@reddit

WTF why would you eat it at all??

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edwardturnerlives@reddit

I said a little chunk!

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American_Greed@reddit

lmao don't worry dude I ate chalk one time thinking it was one of those candy cigarettes

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SirGothamHatt@reddit

We had made gingerbread houses in class in 3rd grade, and I ate what I thought was a bit of hardened frosting that fell off. It turned out to be a piece of a white crayon. I had to commit and pretend it wasn't hard and gross cuz one of my friends was watching me and I had insisted it was frosting.

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rythmicjea@reddit

So?? You don't just randomly eat someone's stuff without asking!

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edwardturnerlives@reddit

Quit being a buzzkill it was 40 years ago.

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ML7777777@reddit

But do you still take things without asking?

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cortesoft@reddit

Ok, if I ever go back in time in a Delorean, I will find little 8 year old edwardturnerlives and tell him that

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TheeternalTacocaT@reddit

Astronaut, asbestos, same thing right?

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ZaphodBeeblebrahx@reddit

Now you know what cancer tastes like

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HopelesslyHuman@reddit

Everything about this comment and reply amuses me somehow, including both user names.

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That-Preparation6729@reddit

It’s been awhile since I’ve had coffee travel through my nostrils. Thank you

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FoppyRETURNS@reddit

gif

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Treadingresin@reddit

To this day I will buy this as a birthday gift for my sister who never missed a chance to purchase it at gift shops. She is 50.

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cameronsounds@reddit

Where do you get it? I haven’t been able to find anything but the ice cream sandwiches and I miss these disgusting chalk bricks.

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magnus007@reddit

Isn't it just freeze dried iced cream?

https://www.amazon.com/Arctic-Farms-Freeze-Dried-Bagged/dp/B0BSPMFMKH?th=1

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arcticamt6@reddit

REI sells them.

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djkidna@reddit

Micro Center has it, my wife always gets some whenever we happen to stop in for computer parts and accessories. Also Disney World has it, both in Tomorrowland at Magic Kingdom and Future World at Epcot, as does Disneyland’s Tomorrowland, so we always get some whenever we go to either

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Treadingresin@reddit

I used to buy it from folks on ebay. But since freeze dried stuff has become so popular I can get it pretty easily if I just ask someone at a farmers market selling other freeze dried treats. But check ebay.

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magnus007@reddit

Isn't it just freeze dried iced cream?

https://www.amazon.com/Arctic-Farms-Freeze-Dried-Bagged/dp/B0BSPMFMKH?th=1

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Petraaki@reddit

I still buy this! I love it

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Cyborg_Snowman@reddit

Remember? I can still taste it

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missed_sla@reddit

Freeze dried food has made a huge comeback and I'm here for it, I love that stuff.

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jnetelle@reddit

In salty solidarity with you! I was so jealous of kids whose parents bought them this!

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Not_a_werecat@reddit

I loved those so much! Now you can't get it except in "ice cream sandwich" form. The cookie part is so gross and ruins the entire thing. ☹️

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ThatFalafelGirl@reddit

HAVE I GOT GOOD NEWS FOR YOU!!!! I, too, have been lamenting the disappearance of the good stuff, so I finally wrote the company and heard back pretty quick. IIRC, I believe he said third quarter of this year it should be back again!!!!!! I'm guessing it was a problem with the source material. They weren't making the ice cream, merely freeze drying it. Anyway, should be back sometime this year!!!

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thomasmarrone@reddit

gif

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emjaycue@reddit

Amazing!

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Not_a_werecat@reddit

That would be awesome!

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InfSan@reddit

It's expensive, but Arctic Farms sells freeze dried ice cream in a ton of flavors. It's very good.

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LittleRed675@reddit

I literally crack off the cookie part and feed it to my toddler 😆

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thomasmarrone@reddit

I’m so mad they replaced this with “ice cream sandwich.”

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teriKatty@reddit

Yes they had all sorts of flavors at the Space and Rocket Center (in Huntsville, AL) when we would go there on school field trips.

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Diminished_Glutes_00@reddit

All I want is a chalky block of this shit, and all they sell are freeze-dried ice cream sandwiches. Call me crazy, but i ain't the same.

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CharmyLah@reddit

In Kindergarten, they did this thing where they lined up the chairs into an imaginary rocket where we would pretend go to space. My autistic self did not understand why I had to go through the imaginary door into the spaceship and kept going through the imaginary wall, so they punished me by not letting me have any of the non-imaginary astronaut ice cream. I was very upset.

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EvilBill515@reddit

I just bought 3 packs from the Smithsonian Air and Space museum yesterday.

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HighScorsese@reddit

I don’t care what anyone says, I love this strange flavored styrofoam textured treat

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DojaViking@reddit

Still buy it anytime I see it. It's been awhile now but they sell space Mountain at Disney, I'll buy some. And if I happen to hobby lobby they tend to sell up there as well

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gellshayngel@reddit

Didn't even taste like astronauts.

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xargos64@reddit

I'll never forget it. It felt like it turned to slime in my mouth. Never had it again.

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joemac25@reddit

It's only real astronaut ice cream if it comes from the Vistor Complex region of Kennedy Space Center.

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og_jasperjuice@reddit

Every time we went to Washington DC for a field trip I made sure to grab a pack for the bus ride home.

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D1RTY_D@reddit

Astronauts never ate this, it’s literally just made for science museums or a novelty.

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jaggerlvr@reddit

So weird! I hadn't thought about this for years, until about 15 minutes ago. That was so odd that it came up in my feed just now.

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therealtrajan@reddit

Saw this today at NASA in Houston!

It’s like $10 now. My mom would never let me get it as a kid either

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MrPete1985@reddit

I always wanted to try one. I bet it tastes terrible though

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jackfaire@reddit

Never had it and don't really remember being too upset about never having it.

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MsJenX@reddit

I remember seeing them and wanting them but I never had enough money or if I was with mom, she said no. Then when I was older and had a job I bought some and was disappointed.

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Gatorae@reddit

Ugh I can't look at that and not hear the sound of my teeth chewing it.

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HildeFrankie@reddit

Remember it? I buy some every time I take my kids to the science museum.

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LaceyInTheSky1@reddit

I remember trying it at the mall where they had a big space exhibit. I actually so think of it often. Space used to be such a huge thing back then with the shuttles and all.

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shinobipopcorn@reddit

Yes...

But now I have zofran which is like adult space food lol. 🥲

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mathnerd37@reddit

A favorite childhood memory.

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Starwarsandbacon@reddit

I think about this at least once a year. Never got to try it bc i never got $ for field trips either. Something will randomly remind me of it and I'll wonder what ittastes like.

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Felinius@reddit

I love this stuff

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tooms1176@reddit

You can still buy this at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. My kids love it.

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Inevitable_Owl1978@reddit

I loove it! I took my youngest to a science museum last year and bought 3 packages just for myself.
They certainly are expensive now though.
But man I love that freeze dried texture

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lazydracula@reddit

Always enjoyed it but is it expensive to make? It was costly(for snack) and came in such small portions.

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MamaLovesTwoBoys@reddit

I can taste that pic!

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btg1911@reddit

Remember? I still get them when I take my kids to the Science Museum.

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Sticktalk2021@reddit

Was fire 🔥

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snoopmt1@reddit

All I remember from my several trips to the natural History museum in NY is that my Dad wouldn't get it for me. He was right, haha

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AlwaysAGroomsman@reddit

amazon.com/Astronaut-Freeze-Dried-Sandwich-Dessert-Vanilla/dp/B07BDC4T87

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minnesconsawaiiforni@reddit

Got this after laser tag for birthday parties.

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ibmgalaxy@reddit

Local farm megacorp in my small town made this stuff! The freeze dried slice of pizza was awesome!

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Deep-Interest9947@reddit

I got some at the space museum in Alamogordo, nm as a kid. It’s literally my only recollection of the trip.

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shmelse@reddit

I love how kid brains work. My only memory of Carlsbad Caverns is the chicken sandwich from the snack bar inside the cave which blew my mind.

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Mark-Leyner@reddit

My Carlsbad Cavern memory is that during one of the guided tour stops, the Ranger was lecturing about bats and bat guano. He passed a small plastic tub of guano around the group as a learning aid. This rando in the group took a few pieces and put them in his pocket. I’ll never know why, but that’s probably a better outcome than the opposite. Godspeed, weirdo.

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CarrotCumin@reddit

Guano is actually fascinating. It doesn't seem like normal poop at all, it's composed entirely of tiny little shiny fragments of bug shells, or at least the guano we used for fertilizer does. It has an interesting texture when dry, it's very smooth and sandy and sparkly.

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Deep-Interest9947@reddit

That’s exactly my memory of some cave in south Texas.

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Deep-Interest9947@reddit

Most of my childhood memories from notable tourist destinations involve candy (rock candy or those tiny jawbreakers) or those tumbled rocks you bought in small black velvet bags.

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BeatrixFarrand@reddit

For me it’s the souvenir penny machines and the Mold-a-Rama from the LA Zoo

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Deep-Interest9947@reddit

Those penny machines were the best. (I mean they weren’t as good as small jawbreakers to my violet Beauregard heart, but still very cool).

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cortesoft@reddit

They still have them in a lot of places, but they take credit cards and you don't put in your own penny (probably because no one has pennies anymore)

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shmelse@reddit

mmmmmm sticking your hand into the tumbled rock bin

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BarrelFullOfWeasels@reddit

I loved digging through those!

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cortesoft@reddit

My memory of Denver from our cross country train trip was a little $0.19 toy tiger I bought... they charged me $0.20, and that was the day I learned about sales tax

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Brilliant_Award2877@reddit

The cold chicken

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NetDork@reddit

My clearest memory (going as an adult) is walking into the bathroom and seeing boulders sticking out of the walls.

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64557175@reddit

You wandered into the secret area so they had to give you the amnesiac astronaut ice cream.

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Cold-Nefariousness25@reddit

I lived in Florida, ate more astronaut ice cream than I'd care to admit. I never liked it much, it tastes kind of like chalk.

My kid's 4th birthday was during the pandemic, so I bought some for each kid in his daycare class. They raved over it.

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winobambino@reddit

Mmmmm chocolate....DOH!!!!

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Banjo-Oz@reddit

My biggest memory of this was it being sold in the museum gift shop in Australia when I was a kid, as part of the "space boom".

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_ficklelilpickle@reddit

Fairly sure I saw this still for sale quite recently at the tourist centre at the Parkes radio dish in New South Wales, Australia.

The one that was from the movie where it was used for relaying signal back for the Apollo 11 moon landing. I think it was called “the antenna that didn’t blow away.”

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Here4CatPics@reddit

My teen went to DC recently and brought a pack home for me!

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radrachelleigh@reddit

Yes, cause it's still around.

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Thereminz@reddit

mm yeah... i tend to get the icecream sandwich

these are still made btw but only sold in specific shops, but not so obscure that you can't find it if you look.

definitely something mind-blowing to get in the 80s and 90s

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donut-is-appalled@reddit

My sister LOVED this. I thought it tasted like freeze dried sadness

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rainy-brain@reddit

Haha your experience is mine exactly. It seemed like every other kid was buying shit on field trips and I never got any allowance for it. So, yeah, kinda salty myself. xD

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good_enuffs@reddit

I can still buy this at my local hardware store.

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Interesting_You6852@reddit

Omg!! Yes I do, tasted like cardboard that melts in your mouth, so weird !

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jer1303@reddit

Oh yes

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dark_lord_of_theSith@reddit

I didn't find out until I was an adult that astronauts never actually took that stuff on missions with the. I don't think I'll ever recover.

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alienblue89@reddit

I always wondered how well it worked: the entire point of “astronauting” food is to make it easier and cleaner to eat in zero-G. Anyone that’s eaten this stuff knows it explodes into dust with the slightest amount of pressure. Now imagine a cloud of that dust free floating literally everywhere. To be honest, I kinda think regular ice cream would be less messy in zero gravity.

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BarrelFullOfWeasels@reddit

WHAT

I feel so betrayed.

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RosaAmarillaTX@reddit

Tasted like Stale Lucky charms.

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meltedchocolatepants@reddit

I still get that for my kid currently

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GDRaptorFan@reddit

My early love of this ice cream is why I love that freeze dried fruit so much! The strawberries and bananas yuuuuum

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wronguses@reddit

Every time I see this sub on my feed it's nostalgia for something that's still around.

It's like, yeah actually I do remember double a batteries and fun dip. Why are you nostalgic for the contents of a dollar store?

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keefka@reddit

Dude, 'member PB&J sandwiches? Used to love those when I was a kid

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macduff79@reddit

Have you been able to find that version? Every museum now has the ice cream sandwich version only.

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keefka@reddit

If you search for 'freeze dried ice cream' you can find it in other brands, astronaut ice cream seems to be all sandwiches tho

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LocationTechnical862@reddit

I still get that for myself

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AssBlasterExtreme@reddit

Why would you get something bad on purpose over and over though. The joke is funny the first time.

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KittenPurrs@reddit

I'm generally not a fan of sweets, but one of the grocery stores near me inexplicably sells it alongside packets of freeze-dried berries and bags of Lucky Charms-style marshmallows in the bulk foods aisle, so I grab a pack from time to time. Not keen on sweets, but a huge fan of nostalgia.

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EineGrosseFlasche@reddit

Same, whenever I see it in science museum gift shops I go ham on the Amex.

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RoiVampire@reddit

They have these at a lot of stores with camping gear and hiking stuff. I get some at Academy every time I go in

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cybah@reddit

yeah came here to say this.. they still sell at REI

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sasquatch606@reddit

I order it online sometimes. The museum prices are insane now.

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bigmike2k3@reddit

Same!

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jawknee530i@reddit

Just a few months ago I bought a shit ton of it for my nephews at an air museums gift shop. It was half an excuse to eat a bunch myself if I'm being honest...

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noblewind@reddit

I got some a few years ago for stocking stuffers. Every year I buy some sort of novelty or candy I liked growing up. Like those whistle suckers or rock candy suckers. Things my kids don't see often.

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Asleep_Onion@reddit

I still get it for myself! Makes a great dessert on backpacking trips

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username__0000@reddit

I still get it, I don’t have kids. lol

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Hntrbdnshog@reddit

My kid had a field trip to the science museum near us and I asked him to bring me some back lol. So my kid got it for me.

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spderweb@reddit

They still sell it. They used to sell other foods too.

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strawberrylemonapple@reddit

I’m furious that the company stopped manufacturing the Neapolitan square, and now it’s exclusively available as the ice cream sandwich. The mouthfeel and crunch is NOT the same!

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frqlyunderwhelmed@reddit

I can feel this picture on my teeth. Specifically my back right.

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Jessica_Iowa@reddit

Yes!

I love it but I rarely run into people who like it.

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DifficultAd3885@reddit

You can still buy these. I take them backpacking

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Ok_Welcome119@reddit

They are great when backpacking.

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komplete@reddit

Wow I've never seen what it actually looked like until now, because my parents always told me it was too expensive (and we had real ice cream at home 😟)

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TerribleCustard8366@reddit

They just had this on the "Munchin' Monday" segment on The Ralph Report; i had forgotten about it until then; crumbs everywhere!

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Sboyle12500@reddit

Used to carry them on deployments with FEMA, they were great light weight comfort food that fit in my backpack and slapped a certain way at 3am when you were on overnight shifts.

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NotAllDawgsGoToHeven@reddit

I’ve never bought one of these but I can imagine the texture would leave a lot to be desired and also hurt my brain.

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BeneficialMotor2286@reddit

I will always get this if I see it.

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denverblazer@reddit

Remember? My daughter got this at a birthday party yesterday!

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fartsfromhermouth@reddit

I can only find the sandwiches in stores which are kind of shit

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YaBoiMandatoryToms@reddit

I remember going to the Udvar-hazy center in VA and purchasing some of this in their store. Loved that place.

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JaSONJayhawk@reddit

I remember buying a pack of this from a catalog called "Things You Never Knew Existed". The company later stopped making catalogs and had a website and later went out of business.

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MrMojoshining@reddit

https://youtu.be/0U6nj9CqOh0

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Jets237@reddit

Pfffft why this when you can have ice cream of the future (dots).

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dvdmaven@reddit

How about Space Food Sticks?

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sharts_are_shitty@reddit

Still have and use my Space Pen!

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arcxjo@reddit

I got a friend some for Christmas one year and he was literally over the moon (figuratively). Turns out he went to the Smithsonian as a kid and his parents wouldn't let him get any at the gift shop, and spent the next 25 years upset over how much he missed out.

I also got him one of those birds that dips its head in a glass of water that year, so maybe he was just really easily impressed.

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Elegant-Analyst-7381@reddit

What do you mean "remember"? I still eat this. I pick some up every time I'm back in the states.

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lolabythebay@reddit

My family started using "astronaut" to describe anything freeze dried. It's been 30 years and I still call dehydrated onions "astronaut onions."

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wrenwood2018@reddit

I occasionally get these with my kids. It is nostalgic for me but they hate it.

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Dimplefrom-YA@reddit

bleah! yes i remember it

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lakebistcho@reddit

I recall thinking it was really special. Can you not get this anymore?

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EyeLess7299@reddit

Hell ya was what I looked forward to at the national air and space museum almost as much as the planes! This was back when it was rare and harder to find like 1989

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hamsterfolly@reddit

It’s still available at Cost Plus World Market

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Moonbellhawk@reddit

Still have mine! Its day will come.

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thelaceserpent@reddit

Everyone’s talking about taste, but it was the texture that stood out to me. It’s how I imagine what eating styrofoam is like. But like, in a good way!

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mahoniacadet@reddit

I can’t remember the taste, but I remember the feeling of my teeth squeakcrunching through it with crystal clarity.

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drainbamage1011@reddit

I haaaaate that texture. I tried it once for the novelty and could never touch it again.

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VaselineHabits@reddit

Ha, that's all I remember too and it sucked all the moisture out of your own mouth?

I remember thinking, "Poor Astronauts" 😅

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Memerandom_@reddit

Ya, then I tried rehydrating it in a bowl of water. Like rehydrating a chunk of limestone.

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jmb07@reddit

"Imagine..."

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thelaceserpent@reddit

I bet they squeak the same

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tizopejomikes4719@reddit

It was exactly like eating a block of sweet drywall that squeaked against your teeth. OP honestly didn't miss out on much flavor. We all just wanted it because it was official "space food" from the science center.

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Savingskitty@reddit

Yup

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Affectionate_Ask_769@reddit

You can get the sandwich version at REI still

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lazyrainydaze@reddit

I’m probably the only person on Earth (🥁) who liked this stuff! I do have a theory tho, it’s all just a gimmick. Especially since it tastes exactly like meringue!

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drinkslinger1974@reddit

I was so excited to get a bag of “moon rocks” from my town’s science museum. It was $5, which is all the money I brought for the field trip. I got it home and opened it up only to discover that it was a jar of rock candy. This image reminds me of that.

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Emotional_Warthog658@reddit

It’s still on the market https://www.worldmarket.com/p/astronaut-neapolitan-freeze-dried-ice-cream-bar-633574.html

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we-meet-again@reddit

Remember? I still order packets of these lol.

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bluepie@reddit

You get a pack of this and you get a laser pointer with all the attachments and hoooo boy you’re about to have the best bus ride back from Faneuil Hall

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DragonflyLonely3662@reddit

They sold these at the Air Force Museum in Dayton OH

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Gloomy-Insurance-739@reddit

Remember?!I bought two boxes of it by mistake.

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HopelesslyHuman@reddit

I was heartbroken when I found out astronauts didn't actually eat this in space.

I was 32.

It makes perfect sense. It's a terrible food for space. But somehow it didn't click for me and I spent a large portion of my life thinking I was sharing an experience with astronauts.

I still eat it. It's still delicious.

It just has a slightly bitter aftertaste now.

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Responsible_CDN_Duck@reddit

I spent a large portion of my life thinking I was sharing an experience with astronauts.

You were, and if anything it was closer as it was while they were on the ground too.

NASA/AMES worked with American Outdoor Products to produce the world first freeze-dried ice cream and other Astronaut Foods with the goal to allow people to see what space food tastes like.

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CornishShaman@reddit

I do remember it and i even had it for Christmas one year.
Im still angry that they never had these “space Foods” in space!
I was sold a lie and im still upset

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andy_nony_mouse@reddit

I saw some the other day in a specialty shop! Turns out the astronauts didn’t really use it. We were lied to.

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Bailzzararco@reddit

I really like this kind of ice cream.

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Spartan04@reddit

I convinced my mom to buy it at the local science museum once. Only needed to convince her once since it was awful tasting and we never got it again.

Funny thing is that calling it astronaut ice cream is 100% a marketing gimmick. It would never be used in space, way too many crumbs. They aren’t even allowed regular bread due to the possibility of crumbs and use tortillas instead.

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Responsible_CDN_Duck@reddit

Freeze-dried foods were initially developed for the Mercury missions, and NASA did specifically develop freeze-dried ice cream based on crew requests, but it wasn't that popular.

While freeze-dried ice cream didn't go to space, it's a NASA product that NASA/AMES worked with American Outdoor Products to offer the average person.

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whyneedaname77@reddit

I saw it Friday night.

Then again I have a planetarium and bring it to events and they had it there for students to try.

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Curious_Engine_162@reddit

REI.com you can still get a variety of these

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Brent_L@reddit

My parents bought this from Cape Canaveral when we visited

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Steve-Deschain@reddit

I got some at the museum of science and industry in Chicago when I was a tike in the early 80s.

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AdoraBelleQueerArt@reddit

You can still get it. I do regularly lol

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DadBreath12@reddit

Franklin institute baby!!

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Mackheath1@reddit

Yep, went to Space Camp twice. While you could buy it in specialty stores, it was our dessert each dinner and "no, but thank you."

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inabighat@reddit

I loved that shit. I'm a texture guy that Astronaut Icecream really scratched the texture itch for me.

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SlatheredButtCheeks@reddit

Just took my kids to the space museum, they still have freeze dried ice cream and you can bet we got some

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Rich_Celebration477@reddit

Anybody else go to the Boston Museum of Science as a kid?

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mom_bombadill@reddit

You can still get it at REI 🥰🙂‍↕️

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CarlosDanger3000@reddit

world market, too

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Acceptable_Trash_749@reddit

I remember getting some “astronaut food” given to me by elementary school office in the mid ‘70s because I had forgotten my lunch. It tasted like chalk. Decided right then and there never to explore space. Still haven’t to this day.

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xO76A8pah4@reddit

Imaginarium in the mall sold this. They used to have the little kid-sized entrance.

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flowbkwrds@reddit

We went somewhere they had a bunch of different flavors and different kind of freeze died astronaut food. Maybe the Smithsonian or the Kennedy Space Center? The ice cream was the only good flavor. Really hope they weren't feeding astronauts that.

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Flappadillio@reddit

I remember how shitty it tasted and how disappointed I was lol

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Babymakerwannabe@reddit

Oh yeah I loved it! Also astronaut peanut butter.

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jmb07@reddit

I feel like I still think about this almost every day

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PoisonMind@reddit

I always thought this was the same as Dippin Dots. I guess I was wrong.

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MissNouveau@reddit

Gives me feels of OMSI fieldtrips in the late 90s in Portland.

Fun fact, if you get a home freeze dryer, you can make not only this, but freeze dried candy. I've heard freeze dried Warheads are amazing (can't eat them anymore, loved em as a kid)

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SMUHypeMachine@reddit

I unironically really liked it.

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Glass-Crafty-9460@reddit

Not fondly.

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smolstuffs@reddit

Honestly loved it

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PookieCat415@reddit

I recently put this in my Nephew’s Easter basket and he loved it. I purchased it from Cost Plus/World Market.

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GroundbreakingWing48@reddit

I just got my 10 year old the ice cream sandwich last night! The guy who sold it to me told me he’d never had one. 😂

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mental-echo-@reddit

I really didn’t want to remember this. The texture makes my blood curdle

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Polkawillneverdie17@reddit

I buy some every time I visit the Adler Planetarium!

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Upstairs_Mycologist7@reddit

Used to get this from The Discovery store in malls in the 90's. I'd totally buy a rainstick again from them as well! 😭

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spider1178@reddit

I used to get this stuff at the Air Force museum in Dayton and share it with my daughter on the way home. The neoplitan is gone now, as far as I can tell. All I can find are the gross ice cream sandwich ones.

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sarafinna@reddit

Hot bus+astronaut ice cream about took me out. I’ve never puked harder.

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Sea_Ganache620@reddit

One time we fed my friends little brother bullion cubes, told him it was astronaut soup.

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Ctrl--Alt@reddit

Always in the checkout line of Fry's Electronics

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balataspin@reddit

I literally just saw these yesterday at the checkout of either TJ Maxx or Sierra (they are side by side near me).

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Oracle410@reddit

Every now and then I buy a 12 pack online and eat some with the kids.

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Imaginary_Ad_9682@reddit

I got some of that from the air and space museum in DC on a class trip

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BettyG2424@reddit

Field trips to the planetarium were the best

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rocketpants85@reddit

I still got two sitting on my kitchen counter. Think they're mint choc chip?

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blue_suavitel@reddit

My favorite part of every museum trip!

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CartoonStef@reddit

I lived on the space coast as a kid. This was in all the stores and I knew it was a touristy thing but I still loved to eat it

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HotepYoda@reddit

“I can still taste it” - in the voice of A Christmas Story’s narrator

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nettenette1@reddit

You can get some at LA Kings in Galveston for any Texans.

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Volfie@reddit

No.

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Jersey-man@reddit

Remember. I still eat them on backpacking trips. There is a whole site of nothing but freeze dried ice cream.

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dragon34@reddit

There is a local place that does freeze dried candy and stuff and they also do freeze dried ice cream sandwich chunks. They are kind of fire actually

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giraffemoo@reddit

You used to be able to find this at most "big box" stores, like wal-mart, in the camping section.

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Novitiatum_Aeternum@reddit

I always get some when I find it at a science museum ❤️

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eclipsed2112@reddit

i went on that field trip and also had no money to get anything.someone gave me a tiny piece of the ice cream and it literally melted on my tongue.i liked it.

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Fmartins84@reddit

Still available at NASA in Houston

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cellrdoor2@reddit

I used to work at a mall Discovery Channel store and we kept these in the small toy bins in the back. I loved when someone dropped one and it got smooshed a little because I could damage it out and then eat it.

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AcanthisittaThat5746@reddit

I remember really wanting to try it!

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Omega_art@reddit

Astronauts never even had it.

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upperwest656@reddit

I could never afford it as a kid so I’ve never had it

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adchick@reddit

They still sell it at REI and science museums.

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ASomthnSomthn@reddit

I just went to a museum last week. Of course I picked up an obligatory bag of astronaut ice cream.

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SJSsarah@reddit

Yyeeaaasss. From the Soace Museum in Richmond VA. And my little astronaut soft doll, had a helmet with a vinyl see-through face visor and super shiny silver fabric for his spacesuit. He was very cute. And I thought the ice cream was fantastic. But Napoleon ice cream’s were my favorite at that age.

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rcjten@reddit

I took a trip to Houston with my fiance a few years ago. Going to NASA was one of the top spots to visit. Not because all the space rockets and whatnot. I was there to get astronaut ice cream from the source.

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Street_Breadfruit382@reddit

This was the very start of me wanting to go (and going to) Space Camp. …It’s okay to be jealous.

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American_Greed@reddit

I remember getting that at OMSI one time it was nasty.

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Snow_Crash_Bandicoot@reddit

Still remember buying from the gift shop in the Kennedy Space Center on a field trip in second grade.

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HighSeasArchivist@reddit

Huntsville, AL U.S. Space and Rocket Center Space Camp kids represent!

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Brilliant_Award2877@reddit

It was like eating flavored dirt

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bravoitaliano@reddit

I still buy these from microcenter as snacks.

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Skitzafranik@reddit

Remember like yesterday!!! My one souvenir I bought on an elementary school field trip to the planetarium !!! 😋

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noblewind@reddit

I got some a few years ago for stocking stuffers. Every year I buy some sort of novelty or candy I liked growing up. Like those whistle suckers or rock candy suckers. Things my kids don't see often.

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LauraPa1mer@reddit

I can still taste it

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LizM75@reddit

Favorite

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Triette@reddit

I have some in my pantry I just bought at the California science center

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curedbyink@reddit

I still grab it off Amazon sometimes.

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Quarrels-ofKoi@reddit

Yes ! I distinctly remember eating this while I was looking to see if any of my sea monkeys had hatched yet. It was either the day after my birthday or Christmas

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OptimistSometimes@reddit

Still a thing. I took a bunch of 8th graders on a field trip a couple of weeks ago, and of course they bought this. They all thought it was disgusting and gave it to me to eat instead.

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LiminalSapien@reddit

I got this at the Smithsonian in DC as a kid!

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knowone1313@reddit

They were still selling it at Fry's before they closed back in 2020-2021.

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BillHang4@reddit

I was obsessed.

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HotCollar5@reddit

Oh man, my grandparents took me to Epcot when I was 7ish, and got me this.

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mtron32@reddit

I used to grab one on the way out of Fry’s RIP

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59apache01@reddit

I want to say they had an ice cream sandwich version of it for a while as well. Never cared for it, but to each his/her own.

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Shigglyboo@reddit

Yes and I loved it

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StrangeCrunchy1@reddit

Yep, I had some when I went to the Huntsville Space Center in '94.

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queenofcaffeine76@reddit

Remember? Lmao I worked at Spacecamp. I'll never forget.

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bindrtwine@reddit

One of the few lessons I recall from my father was that Neapolitan ice cream was an example of trying to please everyone while pleasing absolutely nobody.

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240_dollarsofpudding@reddit

Just brought my kid to the NASA center and have some in our pantry!

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FETTACH@reddit

Whoa. Unlocked memory. Thanks!

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MaxPower836@reddit

Vaguely. The best kind of remembering

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DaHick@reddit

Seconded.

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Pantsickle@reddit

Oh yes. We went to Museum of the Rockies during a vacation when I was a kid, and my parents bought a couple packets of the ice cream as well as dehydrated hash browns. I rationed the ice cream out for an entire summer because I thought it was super special or rare or something. I think I was still nibbling on the hash browns a year later.

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Left-Landscape-3890@reddit

I bought a whole box. It sucks now. I had one bite and threw it all out

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Prudent-Lake1276@reddit

I always want this when I'm at a museum or something, but I can never find ones now that aren't ice cream sandwiches. I'm gluten intolerant, so I haven't been able to have these in years. I miss the ones that are just ice cream, no wafer.

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Metamorphica_0226@reddit

Here you go

https://astronautfoods.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoqEPt4lHJwR-yPzglv6gGc0xF1slOQWb-N8l0dPt2cr3hyCtpyt

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Thank you for reminding me!

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