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ISS Food Shortage Cause Revealed

Dan East writes "As previously reported on Slashdot, the two-man crew of the ISS had to ration food intake because the food supply had run mysteriously low. At a recent press release the reason for the shortage was revealed: the previous ISS crew consumed food meant for the other crew. "They had permission to do that but did not record how much they had eaten"."

48 of 257 comments (clear)

  1. New fad diet by nizo · · Score: 5, Funny
    The two U.S. and Russian astronauts on the International Space Station had to rely on a candy-laden diet for five weeks because their predecessors raided the pantry. "Both of us ended up losing a few pounds," U.S. astronaut Leroy Chiao said in a news conference from the station on Wednesday.

    I can see it now, the new "candy only space station" diet fad. I can't wait to see how many pounds I lost after eating fudge and chocolate for the past two weeks.

    1. Re:New fad diet by ackthpt · · Score: 2, Funny
      I can see it now, the new "candy only space station" diet fad. I can't wait to see how many pounds I lost after eating fudge and chocolate for the past two weeks.

      Call it the Dentist Diet, because you'll lose a few teeth to it, too and maybe develope diabetes.

      i can just see it, paris hilton showing great care and concern for all the unfortunate spacers, just before she goes down on ... uh ... a big candy cane.

      --

      A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
    2. Re:New fad diet by PoopJuggler · · Score: 5, Funny

      This will morph into some sort of Low-Carb Cannibalism Diet when they really run out of food...

    3. Re:New fad diet by Rolo+Tomasi · · Score: 3, Informative

      You don't get diabetes from eating lots of sweet stuff. Obesity is a risk factor though.

      --
      Did you know you can fertilize your lawn with used motor oil?
    4. Re:New fad diet by stratjakt · · Score: 2, Funny

      You can, however, put yourself into a diabetic coma by eating too much sweet stuff - though that's not the same as having diabetes.

      I heard once that it used to be commonplace to "punish" kids who stole candy by making them eat a bowl of sugar, kind of like the "im going to watch you smoke every one of these!" ploy. More than one kid was put into a coma, or died as a result.

      Yeah, you can OD on sugar.

      --
      I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
    5. Re:New fad diet by drinkypoo · · Score: 4, Interesting

      You don't get diabetes from eating lots of sweet stuff. Obesity is a risk factor though.

      I wouldn't be so sure. Some research indicates that making heavy demands on your pancreas can "burn it out." When you eat carbs (any carbs) your pancreas produces insulin to manage the conversion of carbohydrates into glucose. The more "pure" the carbohydrate the more easily processed it is, which means it happens more rapidly -- meaning, in turn, that your pancreas gas to work harder to produce more insulin.

      The problem of youth diabetes was basically unheard of in this country until the USDA published the "food pyramid" on the advice of the NIH and we started consuming more carbohydrates and less protein. Correlation does not in itself imply causation but there's just too much evidence for it to be coincidence. The kids who are contracting diabetes aren't all obese either though conspicuous consumption of candy or even white bread will make you fat a lot quicker than eating lots of meat...

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    6. Re:New fad diet by oliverthered · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Fat is better for you than short chain carbs too.
      1: It doesn't require insuline to turn it into fat.
      2: It's digested slower, so not so much of it gets stored as fat.
      3: Because fats are absorbed slower you don't get the craving you do with carbs, so fat is less adictive.
      4: Carbohydrates produce a transitionaly type of cholesterol that causes the formation of HDL? cholesterol.

      I looked all this up about 5 years ago because I have heart problems in my family, sweets are worse for you than a block of lard, and this is why the Atkins diet works.

      --
      thank God the internet isn't a human right.
    7. Re:New fad diet by hawk · · Score: 2, Funny

      And you thought that earth-bound roommates were a hassle . . .

      hawk

  2. Simpsons Space Station Food by teiresias · · Score: 5, Funny

    I thought they had sturgeon aplenty aboard space stations.

    --
    -Teiresias
  3. And In Other News... by ackthpt · · Score: 4, Funny
    The previous crew beat up the current crew for their lunch money.

    vice president cheney was appalled, "that should have gone to halliburton!"

    --

    A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
    1. Re:And In Other News... by stupidfoo · · Score: 4, Funny

      dude... 2004 called, they want their joke back...

      Oh wait - it's still December. Oh well, carry on.

  4. Re:I don't know, by exhilaration · · Score: 3, Funny

    Dude, there's no 7-eleven near the ISS! But I hear Starbucks is opening three locations there any day now.

  5. heh by boschmorden · · Score: 4, Funny

    the astronauts should have done a better job labeling the food in the fridge! damn, i hate when people eat my food at work that i put in there.

  6. They ran out of food because... by tsmithnj · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...the refridge was an older 16-bit model

  7. I don't believe it! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Wait wait wait.

    You mean the food is missing because someone ate it?

    It wasn't an advanced plasma-based alien civilization surrounding the ship and impregnating it with mysterious "digester rays" that convert protein into a subatomic substance capable of passing through metal? So they could slowly feed their young without being noticed?

    And it's not the case that the crew's flesh is immune to this only because of a freak coincidence based on the structure of their nylon garments and a compound exuded by the human body when weightless?

    And that even as I type this the hungry life forms are growing and preparing to use the same mysterious force in reverse to manifest themselves before the shocked and frightened crew? Broadcast live around the globe so we may all be terrified to witness a strange new life form consume the human astronauts before our very eyes like drinking juice through a straw, leaving the indigestible compounds suspended in midair suggesting just the shape of a former living, breathing human before disappating to the four corners of the ship as surviving crew members weep and pull heir hair in terror, not wanting to be the next to issue the blood-curdling screams?

    I think they should double-check. Just in case.

  8. Because... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    In space, no-one can hear your stomach rumble

  9. Candy? by exhilaration · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Hmmmm... you know what would suck, getting a cavity or a painful toothache while in orbit.

    1. Re:Candy? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      you know what would suck, getting a cavity or a painful toothache while in orbit.

      More than you'd think. Cavities are extremely sensitive to pressure changes, if the pressure outside them drops, the air inside them can crack the tooth at worst, or hurt a whole hell of a lot as it expands at best.

  10. who is going to restructure NASA? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    This is a small thing, logistics that are highly important and yet the management at NASA was able to completely screw it up.

    I have a great Idea, let's sell NASA to a private company, maybe they would have the balls to continue into space and do their jobs instead of screwing around with politics and allow the engineers and scientists to do their jobs?

    cripes, sending a crew to the ISS and not making sure there is enough food? Now I would be concerned by the water supplies and Oxygen up there, if the NASA management is incompetent enough to allow problems with the food, then more important factors are certianly at risk.

    and YES, this is a management issue, it is management's responsibility to make sure things are right.

    they need to fire the lot of them with extreme predijuice and hire a new batch that can do the job.

  11. not surprising... by sci50514 · · Score: 5, Funny

    the previous ISS crew are Americ... never mind.... :)

    1. Re:not surprising... by iocat · · Score: 2, Insightful
      The previous crew were Gennady Padalka (RN3DT) and Edward "Fat Mike" Fincke (KE5AIT).

      Reality is, it's easy to blame the last crew, but it might have been the cumulative effects of multiple crews' snacking.

      --

      Dude, I think I can see my house from here.

    2. Re:not surprising... by AbbyNormal · · Score: 2, Informative

      Now now, if you want to get technical, the previous crew consisted of 2 Europeans and 1 American.

      See here" for more information.

      --
      Sig it.
    3. Re:not surprising... by Zak3056 · · Score: 4, Funny

      The previous crew were Gennady Padalka (RN3DT) and Edward "Fat Mike" Fincke (KE5AIT).

      Let me get this straight... they had a guy named Fat Mike aboard, and it took them this freaking long to determine that the previous crew ate the missing food?! One would think the obvious first question would be, "Hey Fat Mike, did you eat all the food on the ISS?"

      --
      What part of "shall not be infringed" is so hard to understand?
  12. Didn't think NASA got so lax by l2718 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The previous crew "had permission to [eat the food] but did not record how much they had eaten".

    Used to be NASA was the most anal-retentive organization in the world. Their safety record and results were nothing short of amazing. Then they made the (right, IMHO) decision to do things more cheaply with the understanding that things won't always work out.

    However, is this a good way to run manned missions?
    1. Re:Didn't think NASA got so lax by mabu · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I think it's naive to assume you can't be both anal-retentive and economical.

      NASA's problem is that the organization has been orphaned by administrations that have no love for science, and it has therefore morphed into a political/business entity that is no longer capable of even accomplishing what it did in the 60s.

  13. I told them.... by WerewulfX · · Score: 2, Funny

    Filming the next season of "The Biggest Loser" there was a really bad idea!

  14. Re:please mod parent down by Anonymous+Custard · · Score: 3, Funny

    I'm trying to eat here and a picture of a naked fat man is putting me off my breakfast.

    Haven't you heard? The "picture a naked fat man" technique is the latest diet craze!

  15. Sounds like a bad roomate situation. by jzarling · · Score: 3, Funny

    No ever ever drank my beer but it was always gone....

    --
    It is better to be the hammer than the anvil.
  16. oh great by bludstone · · Score: 2, Insightful

    This will do wonders to combat the stereotype of americans as lazy fatasses.

    Unfortunatly, the stereotype is fairly true. Its a serious health epidemic.

    --

    no .sig
  17. My roomates by Momoru · · Score: 2, Funny

    This totally happened with me and my old roomates, thats why you gotta put your name on those food packets or Vladimir will totally eat your liquid potato chips when he gets high.

  18. Re:Roomate problems by ackthpt · · Score: 2, Funny
    I can really relate, I've had roommates eat my food before. Grazing for food was practically a sport in some of the houses which I have lived.

    Wait until that shit's happening in your workplace and see how people feel about it.

    At a job, years ago, someone pinched a woman's food and she sent out a decidely angry company-wide email, threatening to put rat poison in her food next time. It was all rather amusing, especially when the execs tried to play it down with a follow-up email

    can't we all just get along?

    --

    A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
  19. Interesting what was left by ewanrg · · Score: 4, Interesting
    What I find interesting was that the previous crew hadn't snacked in the traditional sense - but had actually eaten more "good" food and left the snacks behind.

    Which brings up the question of whether you get more cravings for calcium and protein as the body reacts to the effects of zero-g, or if it just says something about the preferences of the previous crew?

    FWIW,
    Ewan

    ---

    Yes I have a blog - deal with it :-)

    1. Re:Interesting what was left by captainClassLoader · · Score: 2, Informative

      ISS Astronaut Ed Lu has written an entire essay about food on the space station. Other sources indicate that microgravity seems to make everything taste bland - Hot sauces (and spicy foods) seem to be what a lot of the crew members crave.

      --
      "The plural of anecdote is not data" -- Bruce Schneier
    2. Re:Interesting what was left by LiquidCoooled · · Score: 3, Funny

      I wouldn't want to be locked inside a sealed tin can with fellow crewmembers after curry night.

      --
      liqbase :: faster than paper
  20. That's no refrigerator... by Gudlyf · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...it's a space station.

    --
    Trolls lurk everywhere. Mod them down.
  21. Coming up next ... Donner Pass at Mars by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 5, Funny

    If the ISS crew can't be trusted to restrain their appetites, what's going to happen on a trip to Mars (where half the crew might be in suspended animation)? Donner Party Cookbook

    1. Re:Coming up next ... Donner Pass at Mars by Squatchman · · Score: 2, Funny

      At least half the crew will already be "on ice" for when they're needed.

  22. Old Mother Hubble by mrux · · Score: 2, Funny
    the previous ISS crew consumed food meant for the other crew. "They had permission to do that but did not record how much they had eaten".

    Now THAT'S not rocket science.
    Rocket science is for getting you to the empty cupboard.

  23. it's a training problem by belmolis · · Score: 3, Funny

    This is obviously a training problem. Nobody showed them how to run the food synthesizer. They've been standard in Federation starships since the 1960s.

  24. Re:FP by ackthpt · · Score: 4, Informative
    There is nothing for you to eat here. Please move along.

    I feel that way now, looking at the Progresso soups at the store. In the past couple months Progresso has added Monosodium Glutamate (or disodium guanylate, same thing effectively) to all their soups. I can't eat the stuff for the migraines.

    Put less spices into food

    Add MSG

    ...

    Profit!!!

    --

    A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
  25. So does this mean... by rewt66 · · Score: 2, Funny

    It was a bean-counting error?

  26. The previous crew... by ryanvm · · Score: 3, Funny

    So was this the previous crew?

  27. Re:please mod parent down by Strick-9 · · Score: 2

    Ah well, I've learned something new today. I've never really known an alcoholic baby boomer, and therefore was not familiar with the phrase.

    Good day, and you'rewelcomeverymuch.

    P.S.: (and seriously) Props to your friend.

  28. This was not an accident people! by stupidNewbie · · Score: 2, Funny

    The Americans were testing the effects of Medical Marijuana in space. Consequently, it was necessary to measure how weightlessness affects the munchies. Of course they didn't remember how much they ate.. they were stoned. Dude... We're high *and* we're high! Now where did that freeze dried ice cream go?

  29. Re:damn capitalist pigs by myowntrueself · · Score: 2, Funny

    Yeah something like...

    "Piiiigsssss iiiiinnnnn Spaaaaace!!!!!!"

    (it just reminded me of that Muppets show...)

    --
    In the free world the media isn't government run; the government is media run.
  30. if they had used a by geekoid · · Score: 2, Funny

    rfid system, they could automate their inventory.

    I'll be happy to design for free! As long as I can only do onsite repairs, and they pay for the commute.

    --
    The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  31. Re:One word: Minibar by mmegremis · · Score: 2, Funny

    Haha, they probally take whatever they eat out of there own paycheck. Its like all the hotels you stay at, the complamentary fridge, but everything inside is extra. Welcome to ISS! We would like to provide you a varity of food and services while aboard our awsome space station. However, anything moved, touched, consumed, or damager will come directally out of your paycheck. However, this mission only, deserts and candybars are free!!

  32. Re:its in your head by ackthpt · · Score: 2, Interesting
    Double-blind studies can find no correlation between MSG consumption and physical reactions. But I doubt you'll believe it. One such study:

    All well and good for their population, but I do get migraines from food with MSG in it and it's a distinctive type of feeling I get from nothing else. I've nicknamed it 'the velvet hammer' because it initiates as a warmish sensation, like a warm soft hat pulled over my head, followed within minutes by an extremely painful and debilitating headache, which may last for more than 24 hours.

    I have, what is regarded as an allergic reaction, which was not always so. I used to be able to eat foods, such as ramen noodles with no ill effect, but about 6 years ago I developed the migraines and made the connection. I've also developed allergic reactions to dairy and peanuts.

    --

    A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar