Tang (beverage)

Tang

Tang drink mix packets in grape, tangerine and hibiscus tea flavors.
Product type	Drink mix
Owner	Mondelēz International
Markets	Worldwide
Previous owners	General Foods Kraft Foods

Tang is a fruit-flavored drink. It was formulated by General Foods Corporation food scientist William A. Mitchell in 1957, and first marketed in powdered form in 1959. The Tang brand is owned by Mondelēz International, which used to be a part of Kraft Foods.

Sales of Tang were poor until NASA used it on John Glenn's Mercury flight in February 1962, and subsequent Gemini missions. Since then, it was closely associated with the U.S. manned spaceflight program, leading to the misconception that Tang was invented for the space program.

Tang was used by early NASA manned space flights. In 1962, when Mercury astronaut John Glenn conducted eating experiments in orbit, Tang was selected for the menu; it was also used during some Gemini flights, and has also been carried aboard numerous space shuttle missions. Although many soda companies sent specially-designed drinks cans into space with the crew of STS-51-F, the crew preferred to use Tang, as it could be mixed into existing water containers easily. In 2013, former NASA astronaut Buzz Aldrin said "Tang sucks."

The creator of Tang, William A. Mitchell, also invented Pop Rocks, Cool Whip, a form of instant-set Jell-O, and other convenience foods.

Tang is noted for their advertising in the 90's and early 2000s which featured the orangatang as a recurring theme.

Tang is sold in powdered and liquid-concentrate form. The suggested serving size of two tablespoons, or 31 grams of powdered Original Orange flavored Tang per 8 US fluid ounces (240 ml) of water. A single suggested serving of Tang contains 29 grams (1.0 oz) of sugar; 10% RDA of carbohydrates; 100% RDA of vitamin C; 6% RDA of calcium and has a total of 120 calories (500 kJ).