A Russian cargo spacecraft arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) on Saturday, bringing with it nearly three tons of food, fuel and other supplies for the current crew.

While much of the food is processed and packaged, the spacecraft that carry supplies to the orbiting outpost often also contain a small amount of fresh fruit for the astronauts to enjoy in the days following their arrival.

NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick shared a short video of himself enjoying a slice of orange that arrived aboard the Progress cargo spacecraft over the weekend. As you can see, microgravity conditions provide a rather unusual way to enjoy food aboard the space station.

“We celebrate every bite of these rare treats,” Dominick wrote in his post on Sunday.

We recently received fresh fruit on Progrès and Cygnus cargo vehicles. We are enjoying every bite of these rare treats. pic.twitter.com/ms63CWixre

– Matthew Dominick (@dominickmatthew) 18 August 2024

Over the years, astronauts aboard the space station have explored ways to grow leafy greens and other vegetables in microgravity conditions, but most of the food they eat is still prepared and packaged on Earth.

The ability to grow fresh food in space is an important step toward manned missions to Mars and other space destinations, since it would be impractical to pack all the necessary food supplies into a spacecraft for such a lengthy mission.

Dominick, who arrived at the station in March, impressed Earthlings with his photography skills, sharing a series of striking images showing not only the interior of the station, but also Earth and beyond.

The Progress spacecraft will remain docked to the space station for the next six months. The crew will fill it with garbage before sending it on its way, where it will burn up during a rapid descent into the Earth’s atmosphere.