Tortillas are much less crumbly than regular bread, which helps keep loose pieces away from astronauts’ eyes and equipment in microgravity. NASA records that a shuttle crew tried tortillas in 1985 and found they made fewer crumbs and could wrap other foods; tortillas later became a familiar station choice. This is a practical food-handling choice, not a ban on bread—NASA also uses extended-shelf-life bread products.
The astronauts and sandwich scenes are original illustrations, not archival NASA imagery.
Sources:
- NASA — food on the International Space Station: https://www.nasa.gov/history/space-station-20th-food-on-iss/
- NASA — Space Food podcast: https://www.nasa.gov/podcasts/houston-we-have-a-podcast/space-food/
- NASA — food and nutrition technical brief: https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/ochmo-tb-013-food-and-nutrition.pdf
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