Earth’s crust: ISS crew's surprise pizza delivery (VIDEOS)

It is safe to assume that mealtimes on board the International Space Station can get a bit monotonous. This week, however, the astronauts got a break from their humdrum rehydrated dinners when mission control sent them some surprising ingredients.

Those living and working on the station usually have to survive on a diet of highly-nutritious, but none-too-appetizing, vacuum-packed food, as demonstrated in their recent Thanksgiving meal preparations.

The ISS occupants were in for a tastebud treat on Saturday though, after NASA sent them a very special delivery.

Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli‏ had a hankering for some good old-fashioned pizza. So much so, that he had even started seeing pizzas in the clouds over Earth. Being on the ISS he can hardly pick up and the phone and order one in, of course (at least not so far – surely Elon Musk would be thinking of providing such a service).

During a recent live public event, Nespoli told his Houston handlers that he missed pizza. The bosses back on Earth took note, and Nespoli and his crewmates took delivery of their very special space pizza on Saturday.

The crew worked together to combine their floating ingredients for the perfect pizza before settling in to partake of a few slices.