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. Enter the “gastronauts”—a team of
scientists with the NASA-funded Hawaii Space Exploration
Analogue and Simulation project (HI-SEAS) who are working to
develop more appetizing and healthy foods for long-term space
travel. Think shrimp paella, curry chicken crepes, and chocolate
pudding with raspberries. In June, Cornell University hosted a
four-day workshop for gastronauts to try their hands at various
recipes with only shelf-stable, dehydrated foods, including
dried fruits, vegetables, meats, and cheeses. Cornell sent me a
gastronauts recipe book, and I was surprised at the diversity of
options. For instance, astronauts c