Now that the wily scientists at NASA are no longer busy launching shuttle missions, they have time to focus on their inner foodie. At Houston headquarters, they are in the early stages of planning a menu for a team of six to eight astronauts for a planned mission to Mars some time in the 2030s.
A manned mission would require a lot of food, at least a year's worth. Some estimates have placed a one-way flight from anywhere between 400 to 450 days. And the astronauts will have to stay there for 18 months once they arrive to the Red Planet.
Among the menu items being tested is sushi and vegan pizza. Scientists are considering the possibility of having the astronauts do a little food prep of their own like chop vegetables, boil water and even cook, for example.
To sustain the astronauts' food supply, the scientists are also considering a "Martian greenhouse", which would consist of a hydroponic garden grown in a solution of water laced with minerals instead of soil.
Hey NASA, why don't you try growing food in space too? Russian cosmonauts have been doing it for decades, growing scallions and certain types of algae.
Forget Bobby Flay. If astronauts actually make it to Mars and grow and cook their own food, then we will know who the true Iron Chefs are.
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