Cornbread enjoys connection with U.S. space shuttle program

Serving “launch beans and cornbread” to the command center crew became a tradition of NASA (the National Aeronautics and Space Administration) at the Kennedy Space Center near Cape Canaveral, Fla., in 1981 – 45 years ago.

 

The first “feeding” was organized by NASA official Norm Carlson as a potluck meal to celebrate the successful launch on April 12, 1981, of Space Shuttle Columbia (known as STS-1) with astronauts John Young and Robert Crippin aboard.

 

They orbited the globe 37 times before landing safely two days later at Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert in California.

 

As his contribution to the celebration in the Launch Control Center (LCC), Carlson brought a crockpot containing a concoction of Great Northern beans and smoked ham along with a batch of his famous cornbread.

 

Journalist Nancy Atkinson, who writes about outer space and astronomy, said the hungry NASA team members “rapidly consumed Carlson’s delicious beans and cornbread. So, for the next flight, Carlson brought in two crockpots of beans and additional servings of cornbread. Again, the beans and cornbread disappeared.”

“On each subsequent launch, Carlson kept bringing more crock pots filled with beans,” and the beans and cornbread continued to be gobbled up in short order. Clearly, his contributions were hugely popular.

“Finally, sensing that it was getting too difficult to bring in enough crock pots to feed everyone,” Atkinson wrote, “Carlson switched to an 18-quart cooker and set up shop on the fourth floor of the LCC, just above the ‘firing rooms.’”

(These are the nerve centers where 50-75 engineers would orchestrate rocket launches, controlling every aspect from pre-launch checks to liftoff.)

Wayne Hale, a long-time NASA official, commented: “Beans and cornbread: Southern comfort food at its zenith.”

 

“Norm’s dried beans required slow cooking, so well in advance of the liftoff, someone would fire up the cookers in the hallway and start heating up the beans and warming the cornbread,” Hale said. “The ventilation system would distribute the warm, delicious smell throughout the building. Sitting on console in the firing room, you could hear the stomachs growl all over the place. It was torture.”

“The call ‘Beans Are Go!’ came to signal that the shuttle had successfully launched, and it was time to relax and unwind,” Hale said.

Norm Carlson gives the signal. Time to eat. He is also shown below.

 

The tradition has continued, and now 60 gallons of beans and the accompanying cornbread are prepared by center’s food services concessionaire.

 

The original bean and ham recipe included chopped onions and celery and was seasoned with lemon pepper. The brands of dried beans and ham are not mentioned, but Carlson was particular about his cornbread. It had to be Martha White Self-Rising Corn Muffin Mix.

When asked about his special cornbread recipe, Carlson simply said: “Follow the directions on the back of the package.” 

All the ingredients you need to add to the mix are buttermilk, melted butter, eggs and vegetable oil or shortening.

Wayne Hall reported in his blog that Mike Leinbach (shown below), a former shuttle launch director, said the “beans and cornbread tradition” spans generations of NASA employees, tying together space shuttle missions from 1 to 135.

  

Bob Sieck (shown below), who worked alongside Carlson as a shuttle launch director, said: “The launch team looked forward to the fellowship. If there is one tradition you look back on as part of shuttle program for the launch team, it would be Norm’s beans. That’s what everybody will remember.”

 

Interestingly, the Martha White brand never aggressively sought to leverage its connection to NASA or hitch its wagon, so to speak, to the U.S. space program.

Perhaps, the Martha White folks were happy to keep their cornbread feet on the ground and sway to the beat of bluegrass and early country music.

Nashville, Tenn., is the home of Martha White. 

In 1899, Richard and Katherine Lindsey founded the Royal Flour Mill. They were known for producing some of the highest-quality flour, perfect for Southern cooking.

 

The Lindseys named their flagship product after their daughter, Martha White Lindsey. Her image, as a 3-year-old girl, became the brand’s logo.

 

Martha White has been sponsoring the Grand Ole Opry radio broadcasts in Nashville since 1948.