Citrus on the Moon?

           Have you ever heard of the saying, “If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s a duck?” Well, let’s flip that around and say, “If it doesn’t walk like a duck, or quack like a duck, it’s not a duck.” The same is true for Florida Citrus: If it doesn’t taste like Florida Citrus, or have the healthy benefits of Florida Citrus, it’s not Florida Citrus.

             In April 1972, Commander John Young on the Apollo 16 mission to the moon should have realized this when he had what was supposedly “orange juice” and consequently suffered from severe flatulence, especially since he grew up in Orlando, Fla.

            “I have the farts again,” Young told his partner, Colonel Charles Duke. “I haven’t eaten this much citrus fruits in twenty years! And I’ll tell you one thing, in another twelve…days, I ain’t never eating any more.”¹

            You can imagine the uproar this bad report on citrus had in the Florida Citrus industry. Chaos ensued over the supposed “citrus” these astronauts had up in space. How could anyone give such a negative review on Florida’s Citrus?

            It couldn’t be real citrus, right?

            Well, the general manager of Florida Citrus Mutual at the time, Tom Osborne, shed some light on the topic. He sent a telegram to U.S. Representative James A. Haley, whose 8^th Congressional District included many citrus groves and packers.

            “[I] regret to advise,” said Osborne, “that a synthetic citrus product was carried on Apollo 16 which has drawn attention due to erroneous reference by astronauts as ‘orange juice.’ [The] product in question contains no pure citrus.”²

            There it is! Of course! It had to be synthetic because pure Florida Citrus would never have such a negative effect on someone. It has nothing but healthy benefits!

            So what happened? Were astronauts destined to forever succumb to synthetic citrus to get their nutrition? Surely not!

            “It is our pleasure,” Osborne optimistically announced, “to advise you on behalf of more than 18,000 Florida Citrus growers that an excellent pure orange juice crystal has been developed by the Florida Citrus industry…[We] respectfully urge you to make NASA officials aware of [the] pure product and urge their use…in future space missions.”³

            That’s a relief! Future astronauts would have the advantage that poor Commander Young did not have. They would be able to take their favorite Florida Citrus into space with them.

            Great news to citrus loving astronauts everywhere!

Isn’t that just amazing, though? The healthy benefits of Florida Citrus are so great that they not only reach the world, but reach even to the moon.

Now that’s how you know it’s real Florida Citrus.

Written by Selys Rivera

Student Fellow at the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame

In partnership with Florida Southern College’s McKay Archives Center

Sources:

¹ “Farting on the Moon – Apollo 16.” Youtube video, 0:40, posted by “Jude Adamson,” April 16, 2010.

² Tom Osborne telegram to Congressman James A. Haley, April 24, 1972, Box 220 in folder entitled “NASA 1972-1974.” James A. Haley Congressional Papers Collection. (McKay Archives, Florida Southern College, Lakeland, FL).

³ Ibid.