麻豆传媒

THE next generation of astronauts needn鈥檛 fear for their stomachs: volunteers
who have just spent 30 days dining on Martian cuisine have given it the thumbs
up. It鈥檚 all part of a NASA-funded project to create a suitable menu for a
1000-day mission to Mars.

A team led by Jean Hunter of Cornell University has spent two years
concocting 200 vegetarian recipes from plants, including wheat, tomatoes, soya
and carrots, which are on the NASA shortlist of 15 crops that could be grown in
a hydroponic greenhouse on Mars. 鈥淭est subjects liked them individually, but we
wanted to see whether they would accept them in a steady diet,鈥� says Hunter.

The menu had to include varied meals that were easy to prepare, supplied the
right nutrients, and were low in sodium and iron. 鈥淪odium can reach dangerous
levels when water is cycled between a crew, bioreactors and plants,鈥� Hunter
says. Astronauts also need less iron in their blood.

The prospective Martians鈥�16 Cornell staff members鈥攁te meals which
included black bean chilli, stews and stir-fries made with a wheat-based meat
substitute, plus soups and sandwiches. The reaction of the volunteers was
positive. 鈥淚 thought the food was delicious,鈥� says Elizabeth Babcock
Woodring.

Getting the Mars menu right is important because a boringly monotonous diet
can lead to psychological problems and the sort of serious weight loss
experienced by some of the cosmonauts on the Mir space station. Also, growing
food on the Red Planet could reduce the prohibitive cost of launching huge
masses of prepackaged food鈥攁nd so bring a Mars mission closer.