On July 14^th, NASA is inviting mission followers to enjoy a virtual “All-American Meal” with the Crew of STS-135.  NASA is even revealing its brisket rub recipe –what some southerners would consider scandalous — so you and your family can get a “taste of space” at home!

NASA astronauts Doug Hurley (left), STS-135 pilot, and Mike Fossum, Expedition 28 flight engineer, are pictured onboard the International Space Station not long after the docking of the space shuttle Atlantis and the station during the mission's third day in space. Fossum displays a smile as he holds a bag of fruit and other items which was brought up by the shuttle crew. Photo credit: NASA

Home chefs around the globe have been invited to download the meal’s “formulations” (recipes), prepare the meal at home and enjoy it with the crew on the 5^th flight day of this historic final voyage.For those of you playing along at home, you may want to skip the thermostabilizing and dehydrating steps.

And now… the secret Brisket Rub Recipe

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Beef Brisket, Barbecued, Sliced

Dry Rub

Ingredients Percent by weight

Salt  29.51

Sugar granulated   23.61

Brown sugar, lightly packed  17.71

Chili powder   5.90

Paprika   5.90

Celery salt    4.43

Ground oregano   3.54

Ground white pepper   2.95

Garlic powder   2.21

Ground black pepper   1.48

Cumin   1.48

Dry mustard   0.79

Cayenne pepper   0.49

100.00

PREPARATION PROCEDURE

Trim beef brisket of fat and rub dry rub mixture into the meat surface (Dry Rub shall be at least 8 grams per pound of raw brisket).  Wrap the brisket in plastic wrap or suitable material and hold at 40°F (4°C) overnight.

Cook briskets in a regular oven set at 235°F (113°C), baste after 3 hours with barbecue sauce.

Cook another two hours until internal temperature is 175-180°F (79-82°C) baste with barbecue sauce and let sit in the oven for one more hour.

The brisket shall be sliced on a meat slicer set at 1/8 inch (3.0 mm).  Serve 2.8 to 3.5 oz (80-100g) of sliced brisket with add one ounce (30 g) of hickory smoke flavored barbecue sauce.

› Watch a video about NASA’s food lab

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If you would like to actually dine with an astronaut, as opposed to virtually, check out our Lunch with an Astronaut event every Friday.  This week we will host astronaut Dr. John-David Bartoe.  Afterwards, checkout our Living in Space presentation to learn more about how astronauts prepare food and eat in microgravity!

Discounted tickets are now available online at spacecenter.org

May the Force be with You! Star Wars:The Clone Wars, the newest exhibit at Space Center Houston, opened with a huge bang over the 4th of July weekend! Big thanks goes out to our friends at LucasFilm Ltd., and the SCH staff for all the hard work round the clock to make this Star Wars dream a reality! Remember, Space Center Houston has the largest collection of Star Wars: Clone Wars and Star Wars artifacts and memorabilia in the world! Have you ever seen an infamous Star Wars lightsaber, a full-sized Starfighter, or wished you could go behind-the-scenes of the next Star Wars saga, before it comes out in theaters? The once-in-a-lifetime chance is now, and its only at Space Center Houston with Star Wars:The Clone Wars! Now Open all summer long!(P.S. Save Big on admission at Spacecenter.org!)

(below: SCH guests experiencing Star Wars:Clone Wars and Genuine Obi-Wan Kenobi Starfighter on display)

While we’re on the subject of flying things in space, lets go back a few months and rekindle a story that made headlines around the world. To commemorate the 30th anniversary of the iconic “Star Wars” film, Space Center Houston officials thought it would be a brilliant idea to fly the original Luke Skywalker Jedi lightsaber into space. So, they called up George Lucas, and he agreed! Mr. Lucas watched the lightsaber prop make its way into history as he viewed the Space Shuttle Discovery launch from Kennedy Space Center last October. After the Astronauts completed their heroic mission, and safely returned home, the space-flown lightsaber was displayed at Space Center Houston. “Star Wars” fans hit the jackpot and came from all over the country to see the famed movie prop. Watch the mayhem below as the lightsaber arrives in Houston, carried by none other than Space Center Houston’s marketing director Roger Bornstein, along with a few “Star Wars” favorites!

Now watch the STS 120 crew and Space Shuttle Discovery launch, with the lightsaber in-tow!

Question: Did you see the LightSaber exhibit at SCH? What did you think?