Astronauts have their cute sins too. The American Shannon Walker, one of the seven astronauts of the 64th mission to the International Space Station (ISS) left for 180 days on November 20, has found nothing better than to take with her a little personal treat 400 km from the Earth: Belgian cheese, made in a dairy in West Flanders.

The desired dish is produced by the cheese farm ‘t Groendal, in Rumbeke, in the entity of Roeselare. How did his cheese end up in the ISS? Thanks to the Antwerp refiner Van Tricht, which ensures distribution abroad, say Gazet van Antwerpen and Het Nieuwsblad, who got wind of the affair. The cheese ended up at the stall of a Houston cheese store, where Shannon Walker was a customer before she left for space.

The Houston Dairymaids brand has therefore received in November a first order from NASA for this specific Belgian cheese with a very Flemish touch: it is made from Westhoek milk. Obviously, this one tickled the taste buds of the other astronauts, since a second order arrived this month.

Shannon Walker seems to particularly revel in OG Kristal and Old Farmdale. “These are the variants of our Brokkeloud Roeselare and Oud Roeselare cheeses that we produce for the US market,” explains Johan Deweer, operator of the ‘t Groendal cheese farm. Who does not hide his pride, congratulating himself on the passage of nice publicity stunt for the cheese factory West Flemish.