Through a labyrinth of hallways deep
inside a 1950s-era building that has housed research that dates back to
the origins of U.S. space travel, a group of scientists in white coats
is stirring, mixing, measuring, brushing and, most important, tasting
the end result of their cooking.
Their mission: Build a menu for a planned journey to Mars in the 2030s.
The menu must sustain a group of six to eight astronauts, keep them
healthy and happy and also offer a broad array of food. That’s no simple
feat considering it will likely take six months to get to the Red
Planet, astronauts will have to stay there 18 months and then it will
take another six months to return to Earth. Imagine having to shop for a
family’s three-year supply of groceries all at once and having enough
meals planned in advance for that length of time.
