This dried beef is typical of early Shuttle-era menu choices. It was returned from the first Space Shuttle mission, STS-1 (Columbia), in 1981. As there is no onboard refrigerator or freezer, most foods stocked on the Shuttle are processed for storage at room temperature and packaged in individual portions.
NASA transferred this to NASM in 1983.
This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.