Six "astronauts" just completed a four month food study in a simulated Martian base on the slopes of Hawaiis Mauna Loa volcano.
Imagine finding freeze-dried meats and fruits, dehydrated vegetables, egg crystals, ghee-like anhydrous butter, powdered milk and chipotle peppers in your kitchen, but not a morsel of fresh food. Read more
For the lucky few who get to travel to space, the food isn't exactly, well, out of this world. Most space cuisine consists of a limited selection of pre-packaged food prepared by adding water - possibly leading to "menu fatigue" that could compromise the crew's health. This is especially a concern as space agencies such as NASA prepare to send astronauts on two-to-three year missions to Mars. Read more
Six people will live for four months on a barren lava field on Hawaii island next year to test new food and food preparation techniques for potential deep-space travel. Read more
'Gastronauts' practice Martian cooking techniques for deep-space delicacies
How hard would it be to cook on Mars? Nine "gastronauts" tried to answer that question during a four-day Cornell workshop June 12-15. Using only shelf-stable, dehydrated foods, they learned how to make such deep-space delicacies as seaweed salad, curry chicken crepes, Puerto Rican-style white bean stew, and chocolate pudding with raspberries. Read more
We are seeking participants for a 120 day Mars exploration analogue mission (Hawaii Space Exploration Analogue & Simulation, or HI-SEAS), to take place in early 2013 on the Big Island of Hawaii. DEADLINE: FEB 29 2012. Read more