Life imitated art this week aboard the International Space Station, where weightless astronauts munched on free-flying potato chips a la Homer Simpson.

During a break from the serious work of space station maintenance and research, Expedition 16 commander Peggy Whitson and flight engineers Yuri Malenchenko and Dan Tani snacked on the crunchy chips, sometimes as they floated on their own in the station’s orbital galley.

The scene, caught on home video and beamed down from orbit Tuesday, was oddly reminiscent of Homer Simpson’s potato chip hunt aboard a NASA space shuttle in the Simpsons episode “Deep Space Homer.” Unlike Homer, who ran into an ill-placed ant farm while chasing down chips, Whitson and her crew merely discussed potential science experiments and playfully tossed chips to one another before resuming work aboard their orbital laboratory.

Top: Space station commander Peggy Whitson snacks on potato chips in orbit.
Bottom: A free-flying chip floats toward hungry spaceflyers. Credit: NASA TV.NASA’s beams down live video from inside (and outside) the space station every weekday (barring holidays) at about 11 a.m. EST, and gems like Tuesday’s potato chip moment - not the mention the stunning views - make tuning in worthwhile. But don’t worry if you end up missing it. NASA replays commentary at 3 p.m. and 11 p.m. EST every day.

You can check it out via SPACE.com’s NASA TV feed, which is available on our Space Station Expedition Page.

Mmmm…space potato chips. Credit and copyright: 20th Century FoxHomer Simpson, eat your heart out.