Saskatchewan bison jerky selected for Canadian astronaut's space mission
Astronaut Joshua Kutryk has chosen jerky from a Gull Lake business for his upcoming six-month mission to the International Space Station.
GULL LAKE — A Saskatchewan bison jerky brand is heading back to space with Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk on his upcoming mission to the International Space Station.
Shianna Smart, co-owner of Trails End Buffalo Stix in Gull Lake, said she initially thought an email from NASA was a scam.
"I was unsure if it was real at first. I was hesitant but then we got to talking with them and got more information, it was exciting," Smart said in an interview with Radio Canada.
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She learned Kutryk selected her jerky for the NASA-SpaceX mission launching on Oct. 1, pending final approval.
Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield snacked on the same brand's bison jerky sticks in orbit in 2013, when the business was under previous ownership.
"I knew it had been gone to space ... but I never thought we will be asked again so that was pretty exciting," Smart said.
The jerky went through a selection process from the Canadian Space Agency and NASA before it was approved for spaceflight.
NASA provides about three-quarters of the food for missions, but astronauts can customize the remainder, and the CSA provides Canadian options, according to Natalie Hirsch, who oversees operational space medicine at the Canadian Space Agency.
"We meet with our astronauts when they've been assigned to a mission and we add what their preferences are and then based on that we'll do that market survey to see what's out there," she told Radio Canada.
Requirements include an 18-month shelf life, space-suitable packaging and a lack of crumbs.
"Any jerky product, those products usually have a long shelf life which is a good thing for space when you don't have refrigeration capabilities," Hirsch said.
Smart hopes the space-bound snack will boost its profile on Earth.
"I am hoping lots of people out there see it and realize that it will be great to take for my kids' lunches, sports or travelling," she said.
Local support is crucial for small businesses like this one, said Nolan Langer, assistant plant manager at the Saskatchewan Food Industry Development Centre in Saskatoon.
The facility has been producing jerky for almost 20 years.
"It is because the Sask. food centre is one of the few locations of western Canada that does all processing for small clients, there is no other place that they can go, to do that certain work," Langer said.
Other Canadian products that have gone to space include maple syrup from Ontario and Quebec and salmon from the west coast.
Your Space Hamilton reported in September that Kutryk, a Fort Saskatchewan-born engineer and pilot, will launch aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon on Oct. 1 for a six-month mission.
With files from CBC News