Blue Bell Sent To Int'l Space Station Astronauts
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - Chances are there is a group of astronauts enjoying a Texas treat today!
It's a spacecraft that only measures 14.4 feet tall and 12 feet wide, but the SpaceX Dragon capsule made enough room to carry a load of Blue Bell ice cream to the International Space Station.
The capsule docked on the station early Wednesday. Part of the commercial cargo included a shipment of Blue Bell ice cream sundae cups.
"We're really excited that they chose Blue Bell to take up there and I know that the astronauts are excited to have something like ice cream," Blue Bell public relations manager Bill Weiss said.
This isn't the first time Blue Bell ice cream has gone into space, but Weiss said advances in technology allows the easy transport of the cold treat. "In the early days they would have to freeze-dry things, but now they actually were able to take a cooler up there with 'em."
The astronauts had apparently been anticipating the present from the Brenham-based company. Once the capsule docked with orbiting lab, Expedition 33 commander Sunita Williams radioed back, "Looks like we've tamed the dragon. We're happy she's onboard with us. Thanks to everybody at SpaceX and NASA for bringing her here to us. And the ice cream."
The three-person crew consists of Williams, flight engineers Aki Hoshide and Yuri Malenchenko. Blue Bell officials are excited to be associated with the explorers.
"It's people from various countries, working together for a common goal," Weiss said. "So, it's pretty cool that we're able to be represented within that context."
The SpaceX Dragon, the first commercially developed spacecraft to visit the space station, will be docked for the next three weeks.
Also Check Out:
