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NASA’s Artemis II mission broke a 56-year distance record, carried four astronauts around the far side of the Moon, and among the crew’s personal food choices, included a jar of Nutella — a morale item, technically. Which got us thinking: if you had to pack a handful of non-essential comforts for a trip to the Moon, what would actually make the cut?

Nutella

It went to space before we even made this list, so the decision was already made for us. The Artemis II crew packed Nutella alongside beef brisket, mac and cheese, and scrambled eggs for their 10-day mission — because so far away from home, and sleeping in cocoon bags, you need something that just tastes good and spreads smiles among the crew. No further justification needed.

Your Pillow — The Cold Side

Science has never satisfactorily explained why this works, and we don’t need it to. Flipping a pillow to its cooler side is one of the most universally satisfying experiences available to humans — no sleep supplement, no $400 mattress topper, no meditation app has come close. The Moon’s surface swings between 127°C and -173°C. Getting the cold side of the pillow right up there is going to take some doing, but that’s an engineering problem, not a reason to leave it off the list.

Your Mug and a Proper Coffee

The Artemis II crew already had the right idea — they packed coffee. We’re just refining it. Coffee from a pouch is a compromise nobody should have to make, and we’re bringing the mug: slightly chipped, holds exactly the right amount, has outlasted several apartments and at least one situation we don’t need to get into. The ISS has had an actual espresso machine since 2015. The Moon gets one too — partly because proper coffee deserves proper equipment, and partly because Nutella needs something to go with.

A Playlist You’ve Had Since 2009

Streaming services have had years to crack this and haven’t. The playlist we’re bringing isn’t one an algorithm assembled — it’s the one we made ourselves sometime around 2009, in a mood we couldn’t fully explain now, that has outlasted three phones and two streaming platforms. Some of the tracks are mortifying. All of them still hit. We’re not leaving it behind.

A Comfort Rewatch

We’re not picking something new to watch on the way to the Moon. We’re bringing the one we’ve already seen so many times we know it by heart — the show, or season, or movie that exists purely for the comfort of already knowing what happens. Novelty is overrated at the best of times. At 252,752 miles from Earth, familiarity wins every time.

A Disposable Camera

We’re sending people around the Moon with navigation systems, thermal protection, high-def cameras, and decades of spaceflight knowledge behind every decision. We’re also bringing a disposable camera with 27 exposures and a flash that makes everyone look mildly surprised. There’s something perfect about taking the most technologically advanced trip imaginable and coming home with blurry proof you can’t immediately check, edit, or post. The thumb in the corner, the accidental photo of a sleeping bag, the one good shot everyone argues over later. That’s exactly the point.

Your Pet

A dog named Laika orbited Earth in 1957. A Russian tortoise looped around the Moon in 1968. Impressive company, but no astronaut has ever had a dog at the foot of their sleeping bag or a cat sprawled across their lap while looking at Earth from above. We’re putting a pet on this list anyway — not because there’s a solution, but because the absence of one is going to be one of the hardest parts of the trip. Some things earn a spot just by being true.

Doing Nothing Without Feeling Guilty About It

Okay, so it’s not an item, but we’re putting it on the list because it’s a state most of us have been slowly talked out of since childhood. Actual rest. Staring out a window with nothing on the agenda. Not recovering, not recharging, just doing nothing. The Artemis II crew had a 40-minute communications blackout as their spacecraft passed behind the Moon. Forty minutes where nothing was possible except being exactly where they were. We’d like that, please. We’re putting it on the list.

The post The Unofficial Guide to Packing for the Moon appeared first on VICE.

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