Feb. 20, 1962 - About 20 minutes after he had soared aloft, Lieut. Col. John H. Glenn Jr. had his first snack in space. The Mercury control center reported that he dipped into his space food at 10:09 a.m. as he passed the tracking station at Kano, Nigeria. He squeezed the food out of special tubes, resembling oversized tubes of toothpaste. His two-course menu consisted of a beef-vegetable mixture and applesauce. His squeeze food was semi-solid like baby food, but with adult seasoning and sugar added. While in orbit, Colonel Glenn was weightless. He would have floated around in his spacecraft if not strapped down. Food served in the ordinary manner would float as well, as would any crumbs he might spill. So his meal was placed inside the special aluminum squeeze tubes developed by American Can Company container scientists. The tubes have caps, with metal seals inside the neck. Other prepared tubes of space food contain chicken-noodle, veal, peaches, and a fruit concentrate. After dinner, the food tube can be crumpled into a small space, taking care of garbage disposal or space littering.
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