Gross Or Awesome? NASA Lets You Decide As Astronaut Shows Off Ketchup Stunt In Space

Astronaut Matthew Dominick shared a humorous video of himself drinking ketchup in space. The video sparked varied reactions from viewers, with some finding it amusing and others questioning its appeal

Astronaut Matthew Dominick aboard the International Space Station.

Source : X/@dominickmatthew

NASA Video: Astronaut Matthew Dominick, one of the current crew members aboard the International Space Station (ISS), often shares with his followers back on Earth intriguing snippets of his experience in space, giving space enthusiasts a unique peek into his life aboard the orbiting lab. In his recent post, Dominick amused his audience with a lighthearted video where he’s seen floating around the station while savouring ketchup straight from a bottle.

“This one’s for all the ketchup fans out there. Everyone either loves it or finds it gross—nothing in between," Dominick joked in the caption, adding: "Also, some cool science happening too.”

NASA also took to its social media handles to share the video later, asking users to decide if it was really "gross" or "awesome". 

Awesome or gross? 🤔🍅

😋 Awesome!
🤢 Gross! https://t.co/cdZBw72wRA

— NASA Astronauts (@NASA_Astronauts) October 23, 2024

Ketchup Antics Aboard The Space Station 

The clip shows Dominick shaking the ketchup bottle, preparing to take a sip. A fellow astronaut playfully asks: “What are you doing?” With a smile, Dominick explains his intention to drink the ketchup and proceeds to squeeze it into his mouth. The laughter of the other astronauts adds to the fun, making the video all the more entertaining.

The video sparked varied reactions from users. 

“OMG! It’s gross, but also amazing!” A third joked, “I just told my daughter not to do that on Earth,” wrote one user, with another adding: “The dynamics are interesting, but I’m not calling it awesome. Ketchup is great on food, but that’s where it belongs.”

A third user posted: "Love seeing ketchup make it to space! 🛰️ But with all the health-conscious food choices NASA's known for, maybe try a low-sugar brand..."

"Grossly awesome," read yet another post.

A Bachelor of Science from the University of San Diego and a Master of Science from the Naval Postgraduate School, Matthew Dominick has been with NASA since August 2017, and is currently in space as the commander of SpaceX Crew-8 mission. He reached the International Space Station on March 3, 2024, and is all set to return after spending a little more than 6 months in space. 

SpaceX Dragon spacecraft Endeavour was scheduled to bring back Dominick and NASA's SpaceX Crew-8 members Jeanette Epps and Michael Barratt, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin earlier this month but weather conditions have not been favourable for the return.

In its latest update, NASA said the space agency and SpaceX have scheduled the Dragon spacecraft, Endeavour, to autonomously undock from the International Space Station at 5:05 pm ET on Wednesday, October 23 (2:35 am IST on Thursday, October 24).

Following its undocking, the spacecraft will execute a series of departure burns to safely distance itself from the station. Endeavour will then carry out several orbit-lowering maneuvers, discard its trunk, and re-enter Earth's atmosphere. The splashdown is expected to occur off the coast of Florida around 34 hours later, on Saturday, October 26.

While sharing the ketchup video on Twitter, Dominick posted: "Having fun with @Astro_Suni and @astro_Pettit before we leave for Earth."

@Astro_Suni is the X handle of astronaut Sunita Williams, and @astro_Pettit is that of astonaut Don Pettit — both are currently in space.