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Astronaut Has 'Wasabi Spill' in Space

Posted by Zonk on from the argh-my-eyes-all-i-see-is-green-and-burny dept.

Sda~ writes "You learn something new everyday: There is nothing in the astronaut training manual about how to clean up flying wasabi. An inadvertent Wasabi spill this week aboard the ISS has made space agencies re-evaluate including the spicy paste in future meals. The astronauts are allowed some of their favorite foods on each trip, to alleviate homesickness. 'Williams, whose father was born in India, has several Indian dishes in her bonus container, including Punjabi kadhi with pakora - vegetable fritters topped with yogurt and curry - and mutter paneer, a curry dish. The dishes are packaged to have a long shelf life in space. Her U.S. crew mate, astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria, is an even bigger foodie. Lopez-Alegria, who was born in Madrid but grew up in California, had Spanish muffins known as magdalenas, chorizo pork sausage and latte in his bonus container.'"

6 of 164 comments (clear)

  1. Useful practice? by Original+Replica · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I wonder if this was a decent simulation of a more dangerous spill? What would they do if there was a leaking battery or something worse?

    --
    We are all just people.
  2. *Chuckle* by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Tee hee! It's funny stories like this that really justify the $2billion/year price tag associated with the ISS! Remember that golf shot last year? And don't forget that cosmonaut who got married up there too.

    Lovely stuff..

  3. What else can't they handle? by Todd+Knarr · · Score: 3, Insightful

    One has to wonder. Surely this same kind of spill could happen with any semi-liquid item, eg. ketchup or mustard, with equal consequences for the equipment and people. There's plenty of chemicals that can spill and present as much of a vapor/inhalation hazard as wasabi if not more. And it's not like NASA doesn't know things like this can happen, we've got 40+ years of experience with zero-gee and more than that of sci-fi stories featuring comedy based around stuff in zero-gee floating where it's not supposed to be. Shouldn't this have been a total non-event, something long planned and prepared for?

    1. Re:What else can't they handle? by susano_otter · · Score: 2, Insightful

      What is more likely: That NASA, with 40+ years of experience, doesn't know how to handle this kind of thing? Or that a reporter for a business journal is neither well-informed on the topic, nor particularly interested in writing a boring article about how this isn't really news?

      --

      Any sufficiently well-organized community is indistinguishable from Government.

  4. Re:I don't know which one is more pathetic... by jkrise · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Who the hell modded the parent post Troll? All 20 responses so far have been just Funny or Clueless so far... and all in a science.slashdot.org article.

    What useful scientific knowledge does this article provide? Should we trivialise space research to mean flying noodles or some more ultra-high-tech weapons that no one knows anything about?

    Mods, get a clue, will you?

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    If you keep throwing chairs, one day you'll break windows....
  5. Things you really don't want to bring into space by Y-Crate · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I'm quite a fan of Indian cuisine, but in light of the limitations of their air filtering system, don't you think it's a bit cruel to allow an astronaut to bring curry aboard the ISS?