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NASA Working on Mars Menu

DevotedSkeptic writes in with a story about the work going into feeding astronauts on a mission to Mars. "The menu must sustain a group of six to eight astronauts, keep them healthy and happy and also offer a broad array of food. That's no simple feat considering it will likely take six months to get to the Red Planet, astronauts will have to stay there 18 months and then it will take another six months to return to Earth. Imagine having to shop for a family's three-year supply of groceries all at once and having enough meals planned in advance for that length of time. 'Mars is different just because it's so far away,' said Maya Cooper, a senior research scientist with Lockheed Martin who is leading the efforts to build the menu. 'We don't have the option to send a vehicle every six months and send more food as we do for the International Space Station.'"

9 of 220 comments (clear)

  1. Easy... by Smartcowboy · · Score: 5, Funny
  2. MREs by Compaqt · · Score: 4, Funny
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    1. Re:MREs by drkim · · Score: 4, Funny

      From the article you linked to:

      They are intended to be eaten for a maximum of 21 days...

      21 days is a lot less than the several months of a Mars journey.

      No, you read this wrong...

      What that means is; it could take you up to 21 days to choke one of these things down.

  3. Day 76 by 2.7182 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Human flesh, human eye ball, and human bone, with a just a sprinkle of martian dust.

    1. Re:Day 76 by craigminah · · Score: 3, Funny

      I found NASA's yet unreleased book How to Serve Man which on the surface seems to be a book on how to work cooperatively with man...I haven't bothered to read it yet.

  4. We herald in by SpaghettiPattern · · Score: 2, Funny

    We herald in the gastronauts.

    I'll be back after a short break. Don't go changin'.

    --

    I hadn't the slightest objection to his spending his time planning massacres for the bourgeoisie... (P.G. Wodehouse)
  5. Re:No option to resupply? by nospam007 · · Score: 5, Funny

    " Carry a year's worth onboard, and send an unmanned cargo pod ahead to park in Mars orbit."

    Orbit? Put it on the ground, perhaps it will lure out the Mars-bears.

  6. Stupid by puddingebola · · Score: 3, Funny

    Top Ramen Dumbass... every college student knows that

  7. Re:Why can't you send supply ships... by TapeCutter · · Score: 3, Funny

    You managed to land a car on mars ffs.

    Good point, landing a hot dog stand can't be that much harder.

    --
    And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.