Pizza Hut delivered a six-inch salami pizza to the International Space Station in 2001.

Space travel changes how food tastes. In microgravity, fluids in the body move toward the head and cause nasal congestion. This makes food taste bland. Scientists added extra salt and spices to the pizza to make the flavor stronger for the astronauts.The toppings were also changed for safety. Pepperoni grew mold during testing, so researchers used salami instead. Salami has a longer shelf life and stayed fresh during the trip. The pizza was vacuum-sealed to prevent any parts from spoiling before it arrived.Crumbs are a serious danger on the space station. They can float into equipment or be inhaled by the crew. The pizza was designed to stay together and was heated in a special oven on the station. Only Russian cosmonauts ate the pizza because NASA rules prevented American astronauts from participating in the advertisement.The project cost about $1 million to complete. It showed that regular food can be modified to survive in extreme environments. Most space food is dried or heat-treated to last for years without a refrigerator. This delivery helped scientists understand how to provide better food for long missions to the Moon or Mars.