HOUSTON, USA, April 8, 2026 - NASA sent five hot sauces on Artemis II.^[1] The lineup was Tabasco, Cholula, Frank's RedHot, Heinz Hot Taco Sauce and Sriracha.^[2] The astronauts chose them together with NASA's food scientists,^[3] and NASA says it does not endorse any of the brands.^[4] None of them is extreme. Cholula is the hottest of the five, at around 3,600 Scoville heat units, and Frank's RedHot the mildest, at 450.^[5][6] Why pack them at all? Microgravity dulls astronauts' sense of flavour.^[7] In orbit, body fluids shift toward the head and cause nasal swelling and congestion, which makes food taste blander^[8][9] and can cut flavour perception by 70 percent.^[10] Strong hot sauces help make up for it.^[11][12] The craving is nothing new on the space station. Many astronauts want spicier, more tart food in orbit,^[13] and in 2002 astronaut Peggy Whitson joked about barring a visiting shuttle crew from the station over a spicy resupply.^[14] Freeze-dried shrimp cocktail is a station favourite.^[15] Other foods change too: astronaut Douglas Wheelock said green beans tasted like grass in space^[16] and sliced strawberries tasted repulsively sweet.^[17] NASA spends about two years developing each approved space dish.^[18] Space Nugget. Most of what we call taste is really smell. The tongue picks up only a few basics, such as sweet, salty, sour, bitter and savoury; the rich detail of a flavour comes from aromas reaching the nose. The burn of chilli works differently: capsaicin triggers heat and pain sensors in the mouth, which is why spicy food still registers when a blocked nose mutes almost everything else.