There are images that, even on a lunar mission, completely take us away from what we believe is possible. During the official Artemis II livestream, as the Orion spacecraft moved toward a key moment in the flight, a Nutella jar appeared floating inside the cabin. We’ve all seen it and the scene works almost as a small dissonance within an extremely controlled environment. At a time when technology makes it easy to generate hyperrealistic scenes, the question immediately arises: is it real or are we looking at a recreation? And if it is, what exactly is it doing there?
The Nutella jar. The scene was not an isolated clipping or an image taken out of context. It appeared in the official NASA video titled “NASA’s Artemis II Crew Flies Around the Moon (Official Broadcast)”, specifically at minute 54:44 of the broadcast. According to that signal, the boat was floating inside the capsule just a few minutes before the crew reached the furthest point from Earth, surpassing the mark set by Apollo 13 in 1970. We are not talking about just any anecdote, but about a moment that coincided with one of the most symbolic milestones of the mission.
Capture of the moment in which the Nutella jar appears in the streaming
It wasn’t AI, it was real. As we have pointed out, the first suspicion fits with the moment in which we live, in which it is possible to recreate complex scenes with great realism. But there is no room for that doubt here. The image is part of the official NASA live stream and appears integrated into the mission broadcast. The boat was there, floating inside the Orion capsule, in the same microgravity conditions as any other object on board. It is not a reenactment or a manipulation: it is exactly what happened during the mission.
It wasn’t advertising either. Once manipulation has been ruled out, the second reading emerges almost by itself: thinking that we are facing a covert promotional action. The presence of such a recognizable brand in such a symbolic moment invites this. However, according to Futurism, NASA itself has explicitly denied it. “NASA does not select crew meals or food in association with brand deals,” said spokeswoman Bethany Stevens. And he finished with a clear phrase: “This was not covert advertising.” That is, the boat was there, but not as part of any commercial agreement.
space food. When we think about space food, the first thing that comes to mind is usually not something particularly appetizing. Quite the opposite. However, what they have on board in Orion is not that far from something recognizable, although it has its limitations. The crew has 58 tortillas, five types of hot sauce, plenty of coffee and prepared dishes such as barbecued meat or scrambled eggs. Everything designed to be able to be eaten in microgravity and in a very small space. In that context, that boat we saw floating fits quite well. In fact, Futurism points to the 58 tortillas as a possible way to accompany something like Nutella inside the capsule.
Nutella has responded with this post on Instagram (click to see the original post)
Nutella’s reaction. Although NASA has been clear in ruling out any agreement, the scene did not go unnoticed outside the capsule. And that’s where another actor comes in: the brand itself. Nutella was quick to react and posted on Instagram taking advantage of the moment. We are not facing an action planned from the mission, but we are facing a fairly clear example of how an unexpected image can become an opportunity for almost immediate visibility.
While that image continues to circulate online, the mission has already changed phases. According to NASA, the Orion spacecraft has left the lunar sphere of influence, that point at which the Moon’s gravity stops dominating, and the crew is returning to Earth. The landing is scheduled for Friday, April 10. What we saw occurred at the key moment of the trip, but now everything points towards the end of the mission. The boat remains one of those unexpected scenes that accompany a much greater milestone.
Images | NASA | Nutella
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