‘Food has been a really important part of our socializing as humans. It’s when we enjoy food together, we tell the stories and sit around a fire as our ancient ancestors would have done. And we like to do that as well, on the space station.’

In this episode, host Nihal Arthanayake speaks to British astronaut Tim Peake about what food is really like in space, while Science Museum curator Helen Peavitt discusses the history of food preservation.

Hear how tin cans have helped or hindered Antarctic explorers, what meals might involve on an expedition to Mars, and why it’s probably not a good idea to eat baked beans in space…

This episode was inspired by tinned space food in the Science Museum Group Collection which was made in collaboration with Heston Blumenthal for Tim Peake's journey to the International Space Station in 2015.

Our incredible collection contains more than 7 million items which illustrate the impact of science, technology, engineering and medicine on all our lives. You can discover more stories about the everyday objects around you, including the history of food preservation on our website.

Read about the first bacon sarnie ever to be consumed in space on our blog and discover the oldest surviving tin can in our collection.

Follow the Science Museum on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for more insights into the collection and use #ABriefHistoryOfStuff to join the conversation on social media.

You can follow Tim Peake on Instagram and Twitter.

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If you have an idea for a future episode or want to share your thoughts on our podcast, please email us via podcast@sciencemuseum.org.uk.