It's possible that no other generation will be as enamored of the space program as were youthful Baby Boomers. Perhaps a manned mission to Mars might capture the imagination of the young as we were swept up by the race to the moon in the 1960's. But then again it might not.
In our youth, the idea of man traveling to space and back was so new, so outrageous, and so compelling that it simply obsessed us.
In such a fertile environment, advertisers began selling us the same foods that astronauts consumed in space.
Now, the truth be known, no doubt the fellows with The Right Stuff would have preferred fresh-squeezed orange juice, fresh country ham and eggs, and similar fare. But instead, they had to make do with very artificial alternatives, that blasted lack of gravity the culprit.
So they were all probably amused at how the public scarfed up Space Food Sticks.
Space Food Sticks, manufactured by Pillsbury, were the public's equivalent of the semi-dehydrated, compressed rations that astronauts choked down to keep from starving. Presumably, by the time they were offered up for sale, they were more palatable than their original early incarnations. They DID represent an improvement over the yucky stuff astronauts had to suck out of tubes like toothpaste.
If it was up to our moms, they probably wouldn't have sold very well. But Pillsbury knew what they were doing when they advertised them heavily on Saturday mornings. They knew that youthful demographic would begin hounding their parents to purchase the semi-tasty sticks.
That's one thing for sure. Nobody bought them for their fresh flavor. ;-)
It was a blast to grab a couple of sticks, put on your space helmet (mine doubled as a football helmet), and take imaginary space walks, so you could enjoy your Space Food Stick while watching the imaginary earth spin below you.
You can order Space Food Sticks online if you want here: http://www.spacefoodsticks.com/
I really don't miss Space Food Sticks that much, though. I miss the way the space program entranced a nation's youth.