Sushi at zero gravity: NASA astronauts celebrate with creative meal on ISS

The post quickly gained attention on social media, with users expressing admiration for the astronauts’ creativity.

Life aboard the International Space Station (ISS) recently took a light-hearted and flavourful turn when astronauts improvised a sushi meal during a crew celebration, bringing a moment of joy in the midst of routine space operations.

NASA astronaut Jonny Kim shared the story on X (formerly Twitter), offering a rare glimpse into how astronauts find comfort and camaraderie through food, even hundreds of kilometres above Earth.

“Space sushi isn’t quite the same as the fresh stuff on the ground, but it’s not bad!” Kim wrote. “We had a crew celebration recently, and one of our crewmates expressed how much they missed sushi (as do I).”

Space sushi isnt quite the same as the fresh stuff on the ground, but its not bad! We had a crew celebration recently and one of our crewmates expressed how much they missed sushi (as do I). So we collected and pitched in our personal supplies of fish, spam and rice, coupled pic.twitter.com/0xhOhPXiv8

June 16, 2025

He added that the sushi was made using simple ingredients available onboard the ISS — rice, spam, and fish — with a “dash of gochujang and wasabi” for extra flavour. “So we collected and pitched in our personal supplies of fish, spam, and rice, coupled with a dash of gochujang and wasabi, which made for a great meal,” Kim explained.

Though far from a traditional or elaborate Japanese spread, the improvised sushi highlighted how astronauts share small moments of pleasure and bonding during their long-duration missions in microgravity.

To manage dining in space, where objects can float away without warning, the crew also employed a practical workaround. Astronauts tape their dining tables with the sticky side facing upwards — a method that allows food items, condiments, and utensils to stay in place. This small innovation helps prevent food from drifting away in the station's zero-gravity environment.

The post quickly gained attention on social media, with users expressing admiration for the astronauts’ creativity. One user, @Skythelimit4545, commented, “Your space sushi party sounds like a blast, and that sticky-tape table hack is genius for keeping it all together in zero gravity.”

Another user, @terranea45, wrote, “Love sushi too! You guys are the real stars of humanity.”

Several others responded with humour and curiosity, with some expressing a desire to try “space sushi” themselves, while others marvelled at how food behaves under zero-gravity conditions.