When a NASA astronaut wanted to make sure he had a healthy snack during his mission aboard the International Space Station, it was a Van Nuys company that he turned to. Tim Kopra, a flight engineer who boarded the station last month for a 10-week stay, specifically requested fruit bars from That’s It Nutrition be part of his discretionary cargo. That’s It founder Dr. Lior Lewensztain was thrilled about the request and the planetwide exposure it offers the company’s all-fruit product line. “The space mission does provide a platform for us to get the word out and to realize our mission of getting people to snack healthy,” Lewensztain said. For the Earth bound, That’s It snacks are available through the company website and cost $12.49 for a sample pack of all nine flavors. They are also sold at Gelson’s, Starbucks and Whole Foods locations. The bars contain only two types of fruit and use no additives, preservatives or artificial coloring or flavors. They are vegan, kosher and free of genetically modified ingredients. A medical doctor by training, the 37-year-old Lewensztain went on to get an M.B.A. from Pepper-dine University and four years ago launched That’s It. He also has helped found a nutraceutical startup and a company developing a product for burn recovery. The fruit bars use apples as their base and a second fruit, such as mango, cherries or pineapple, to add flavor. Lewensztain calls apples the “unsung hero of super fruits” for their nutritional value. The path to the space station began last spring when Kopra contacted That’s It to find out about taking the bars up with a load of cargo. The NASA food lab tested the bars for their suitability in space and for any preservation steps that would need to be taken. After being cleared, a number of packages of apple and apricot, and apple and banana bars were launched as part of 7,000 pounds of cargo and equipment rocketed up a week before the Dec. 15 flight to the ISS by Kopra and two other astronauts. Besides space-based promotions, Lewens-ztain has taken other steps to grow That’s It. The company has other product lines, such as That’s It Bites – dark chocolate truffles with fruit at the center – to deliver what Lewensztain called “healthy decadence.” A new line getting ready to launch is That’s It Zesty, which adds a different ingredient, such as ginger or chili, to the fruit bar. “We are building off our great flavors and adding a little bit of a zest to it,” Lewensztain said. – Mark R. Madler