spam in a can

In reference to the tinned meat product called SPAM.

spam in a can (uncountable)

1. (slang, derogatory) Astronauts whose mission involves confinement in a small space capsule.
   • 1998, Jodi Dean, Aliens in America, page 78:

     The lab rat, experimental object, “Spam in a can” idea wasn't NASA's vision of the astronaut, but this unpleasant dimension of astronaut life did seep into spaces with a claim to public attention.

   • 2011, G. Scott Thomas, A New World to be Won, page 26:

     Many of the 324 candidates […] were convinced that astronauts were going to be “spam in a can,” mere passengers in a capsule controlled by NASA technicians on the ground.

• Campanians