When we go on Mars, here's what we could eat on the way

As a rule, I have a ham sandwich for lunch. A few weeks ago, I mixed things up and took a waygu beef with a crater-shaped spinach ball, a kale salad with meteor-shaped croutons and a piece of chocolate printed In 3D.

Specialties were part of a menu inspired by Mars aimed at showing what astronauts could eat during the long journey to the Red Planet.

Yes, the food was as sophisticated as possible, although I was badured that nothing looked like the food that astronauts would eat during a mission on Mars. Nevertheless, the ongoing cooking research for a trip to this country indicates problems that will go well beyond the matte paste of a tube.

The New York Luncheon, Organized While NASA's InSight Mars landing on Monday celebrated the second season of Mars's Nat Geo Network, a fictional drama about astronauts creating a new life on Mars. documentary series on the research carried out as part of a mission on Mars.

Michele Perchonok, a food scientist who previously worked for NASA for 17 years, said the space organization was developing food products that require astronauts via a round-trip mission 34 months on the Red Planet and vice versa. [19659006] "If food is not acceptable, [astronauts] may not eat as much," said Perchonok, a valid concern, that astronauts must eat in order to be able to fully perform their task. All foods served in the space must meet the standards of health, nutrition and taste. She must also have a shelf life of 5 to 7 years, she said, which is much longer than 18 months for food on the International Space Station.

"You can anticipate that one of the menus could be pasta sauce made with tomatoes, peppers and onions," Perchonok said, noting that cherry tomatoes, potatoes and strawberries were potentially usable with dwarf plants and a growth chamber.

Soybeans, oils, peanuts and other staple foods should also be eligible for travel.

3D printing could also be a boon to astronauts at the beginning of its development, said Perchonok, with the possibility

"At the International Space Station, we find Asian, Chinese, Indian, vegetarian, Mexican people – there are already a lot – the question is how much variety do you need for a Mars mission, "said Perchonok.

One thing Perchonok knows astronauts want for their missions: coffee . During her NASA career, she had the opportunity to ask the Apollo astronauts how important it was for them to have hot water and they made it clear that it was very, Very important.

coffee, "they told him.

National Geographic's second season of March is currently airing on National Geographic radio on Monday at 9 pm

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