On the one hand, CDR is Jim Lovell, the commander of the Apollo 13 mission, so he hardly speaks for all of NASA.
On the other hand, CDR is Jim Lovell, the commander of the Apollo 13 mission, whose SPACESHIP EXPLODED and he still got all his crew home safely, so if he wants to call it a sandwich and put ketchup on it I’m not gonna argue with him.
On deeper consideration, however, I think we need to know what an Astronaut Hot Dog looks like, because if he’s putting a hot dog between two pieces of toasted bread rather than in a bun, the appellation of “sandwich” (which, remember, is not actually a noun, but is in fact an adjective) is appropriate.
But when I google “astronaut food hot dog” and variations thereof all I get is a bunch of bullshit clip art and some truly terrible recipes and also admittedly, one of Chris Hadfield, global hero, being charming as usual.
There is a question we have to answer before the discourse can proceed!
Ooh, I can answer that @copperbadge – astronaut food is one of my favorite trial-and-error parts of the space program. Here’s a NASA paper on it!
Based on this, on Apollo 13, Lovell would’ve had at his disposal “wet-pack frankfurters” and “irradiated rye, white, or cheese bread units” (Table 3), but no traditional buns.
I think we can safely conclude the good Commander was, indeed, eating a hot dog sandwich.
One, I KNEW someone would know the answer to this and I am DELIGHTED to know that we have a Space Food Side of Tumblr.
Two, I feel incredibly vindicated that he was, in fact, eating a hot dog sandwich.
For this and for your service to the causes of science and space nerdery, Jim Lovell, we salute you and your hot dog sandwich with catsup, wherever you are.
Gay Ryan 