Final Frontier Jerky’s involvement with space missions began in 1996. NASA selected Final Frontier Jerky for a mission to the Mir Space Station, marking the first instance of the product being sent into space. This event took place on September 16, 1996, when the Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-79 was launched, carrying 50 one-ounce packages of Final Frontier Jerky. The product was well-received by the crew aboard the Mir Space Station.
Following this, Final Frontier Jerky continued its space journey. On May 20, 2001, it was included in the payload of a Russian Progress freighter bound for the International Space Station (ISS), marking its first delivery to the ISS. This inclusion was made upon a special request from an ISS flight crew member. The success of these missions helped establish Final Frontier Jerky as a significant player in space marketing.
The product’s third trip to space occurred on April 25, 2002, when Mark Shuttleworth, the first South African private astronaut, carried a few small packets of Final Frontier Jerky in his spacesuit pocket to the ISS. This instance was particularly notable as Shuttleworth had to “smuggle” the product aboard due to time constraints in getting it officially manifested for the flight.
Beefjerky.com continues to use their affiliation with the space program in their product marketing.
