An article in the August 14 Washington Post explains how
scientists at the Johnson Space Center are developing meatless and dairy-free meals
to feed astronauts on a two-year mission to Mars in 2030.
Lockheed Martin scientist Maya Cooper and NASA project
manager Michele Perchonok are trying to solve a number of problems: Enough food
for 24 months; light in weight; food that astronauts can prepare themselves
(dehydrated food works for short-term but too much of it would be boring for two
years--oh, yeah!)
The AP article states:
“…Cooper’s team of three has come up with about 100 recipes,
all vegetarian because the astronauts will not have dairy or meat products
available. It isn’t possible to preserve those products long enough to take to
Mars–and bringing a cow on the mission is not an option…”
Hmm. Maybe we should send a few copies of Vegan Unplugged to NASA to help with their menu-planning! I think the Almost-Instant Black Bean Chili and Ginger-Walnut Rum Balls would be a big hit on Mars!
