The first food item he consumed was applesauce packaged in an aluminum tube. The tube was fitted with a pontube for consumption directly into the mouth. Eating utensils were introduced on a U.S. spacecraft during the Apollo 8 mission in December 1968. Before Apollo 8, food and beverages were either consumed through a straw or tube or were eaten by hand. One of the critical parameters during the planning of a Space Shuttle mission is the weight of the orbiter and its payload.
Engineers plan each pound of weight during lift-off.
The water used to rehydrate the food comes from the fuel cells. The Shuttle's fuel cells convert hydrogen and oxygen to electricity with water as a by-product. The astronauts can chose between about 100 different food items and about 50 different beverages. In preparation of each mission, astronauts taste the available menu items about 5 to 7 months before flight. Based on this testing session, they select their menu.