Earlier this week, a group of NASA personnel gathered to take a picture with the Crew Dragon spacecraft and rocket on the launch pad. And it wasn’t just for the memories: It’s something they do before every mission and there’s definitely some superstition around it.
And after launch, they’ll dig in to bowls of chili. In the Space Shuttle days, they used to eat just beans. But, as one NASA official told CNN Business, some traditions are being tweaked for this new era of human spaceflight.
Over at the weather squadron, which is part of the military’s 45th Space Wing, no one is allowed to wear red socks — the color code for inclement weather.
Food is also involved: “For every launch, about 30 minutes prior, we will bring out a big box of popcorn, and everyone will have a handful.”
The reason? The weather group liked their popcorn. But before the fatal destruction of Space Shuttle Columbia in 2003, no one made a batch. So they resolved never to skip the popcorn again.