35TH ANNIVERSARY OF 1ST CORNED BEEF SANDWICH IN SPACE

35TH ANNIVERSARY OF 1ST CORNED BEEF SANDWICH IN SPACE

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Wireless Flash) -- Next week marks a big day for corned beef lovers. March 23 is the 35th anniversary of the day astronaut John Young became the first person to eat a corned beef sandwich in outer space. Astronaut Wally Schirra actually bought the corned beef sandwich and gave it to Young shortly before the "Gemini 3" takeoff. Young then kept it hidden in the leg pocket of his spacesuit. Once the sandwich was discovered in orbit, NASA officials had a cow because nothing is supposed to be taken aboard a spacecraft without their knowledge but, in Schirra's words, "What were they going to do?" The 77-year-old former astronaut admits he doesn't know how he'll spend the corny anniversary, but he says he "definitely won't be eating any corned beef."