Apollo Day 6 / Meal A Space Food Pack

This is an original, complete Apollo meal space food pack bearing blue velcro squares, meaning it would have been intended for the Lunar Module Pilot. The front label reads "Day-6, Meal-A" with serial number "FAC 156" on the reverse.

Archive Id AP7E-MP-1

DESCRIPTION

This original, complete and unopened Apollo space food meal packet contains 5 individual food rations as well as a hand wipe. One of the internal food packet labels is visible which is the cocoa drink, although it is likely that the other food packets are chocolate pudding, brownies, sandwich bites and bread bites. The original label bears the day and meal number "Day 6, Meal A", as well as the WSD (Whirlpool Space Division) stamp with a stamped ID number reading "8027". On the reverse is a label that reads "Serial No: FAC 156".

On the front of the pack is a single blue velcro square. Velcro was used on all food packets, tools and even checklists within the spacecraft so that they could be stuck down as to not float away while the astronaut wasn't looking.

Throughout the Apollo Program, there were three colours of velcro used on space food and drink; red, white and blue, the colors of the American flag. Red was intended for the Mission Commander, white for the Command Module Pilot, and blue for the Lunar Module Pilot. Therefore this packet would have been intended for the Lunar Module Pilot.

Authentication Information: This space food packet is guaranteed to be Apollo 7-era. Indicators of this being Apollo 7-era are the fact that the germicide tablet on the inner food packets is external, temperature is referenced on the visible cocoa space food packet and that the pack itself bears blue velcro squares.

Throughout Project Gemini and up to Apollo 7, the germicide tablets were all stored externally in a separate pouch as exhibited in this space food. Though unlike Gemini, Apollo had access to hot and cold water, therefore any reference to water temperature places this in Apollo. Additionally, Project Gemini only used white velcro on the meal packs, whereas during the Apollo Program three colors were used; red, white and blue, the colors of the American flag. These factors combined prove that this was manufactured during the Apollo 7-era.