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NASA-funded Mars food study just completed. Embrace your Nutella and Spam future.

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ToxicAdam

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marsfoodstudy.jpg



For the past four months, six researchers have been living in a small dome on a barren Hawaii lava field at an elevation of 8,000 feet, attempting to figure out what kinds of foods astronauts might eat during a mission to Mars and during deep-space missions.

On Tuesday, the researchers emerged from the Mars-like environment with their recipes
, and the space suits that they were forced to wear each time they ventured out of the dome and on to the northern slope of Mauna Loa.

Each of the six researchers who participated in the NASA-funded study were selected by the University of Hawaii and Cornell University. They were charged with preparing meals from a list of dehydrated, preserved foods that are not perishable. They whipped up meals themselves in an attempt to combat food boredom and malnutrition, and concocted meals similar to what astronauts currently eat.

The two-story dome where the researchers have been living for the past few months features small sleeping quarters, an exercise room, and a kitchen.

Team commander Angelo Vermeulen said what is important for future space missions is comfort food. One of the crew's favorite foods was the chocolate-hazelnut spread known as Nutella. Vermeulen noted:

"It's something we craved. We had a limited supply so we had to ration it."


The study also included an open call for recipes that involved a great deal of Spam. It was a common ingredient in suggested recipes because of its shelf-life. The researchers prepared a number of dishes with Spam, including a Caju jambalaya and a fried rice noodle dish.

Kim Binsted, a UH-Manoa associate professor who is an investigator on the study, said that Hawaii's temperate weather and Mauna Loa's geological features were the perfect setting for the study, dubbed the Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS). She said, "It looks like Mars."

Having emerged from the Mars-like environment, the researchers will now spend several days in debriefings. They'll certainly be disoriented, and have requested a beach outing before returning to their normal lives.

Binsted says that it will take months to process all of the data that was gathered during the study, but she hopes to present the findings at the International Astronautical Congress to be held later this year in Beijing, China.

http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/21150
 
I wonder what tools they had to cook with? Afterall, a big part of any mission to Mars would be the years it'd take to get there; As far as I'm aware, zero-gravity environments play havok with flames so I'm curious as to how they made noodle and rice dishes.
 

nickcv

Member
I wonder what tools they had to cook with? Afterall, a big part of any mission to Mars would be the years it'd take to get there; As far as I'm aware, zero-gravity environments play havok with flames so I'm curious as to how they made noodle and rice dishes.

electric stove?

anyway what's SPAM? can any of you guys provide some pictures for us no english native speakers?
 

nickcv

Member
wow, according to wikipedia the term spam related to emails and stuff like that comes from that product name...

thanks for the monty python video guys!
 
There was a contest for recipes the team could cook, from HI-SEAS

The HI-SEAS crew would like to thank all the individuals who contributed recipes to the HI-SEAS 2013 recipe contest. The crew really enjoyed making and eating each recipe during their 4-month mission. Here are the top recipes in each category as voted by the crew. Recipe contestants will be contacted via email after the HI-SEAS mission. We want to thank everyone who followed the Meals for Mars series during our mission and a special thanks to everyone who submitted recipes.
 
I eat SPAM straight up out of the can. It's delicious, and how it got the reputation for being made from unnamed parts of a pig like scrapple or goetta is beyond me. Shoulder Pork and Ham.

Shit, it's not cheap, either. It should be noted that if there were Hawaiians participating in this study, chances are they already have developed a greater appreciation for SPAM than mainlanders. It's like the go-to meat over there. So, not surprised.

Isn't Nuetella basically chocolate frosting with some hazelnut?
 
I eat SPAM straight up out of the can. It's delicious, and how it got the reputation for being made from unnamed parts of a pig like scrapple or goetta is beyond me. Shoulder Pork and Ham.

Shit, it's not cheap, either. It should be noted that if there were Hawaiians participating in this study, chances are they already have developed a greater appreciation for SPAM than mainlanders. It's like the go-to meat over there. So, not surprised.

Isn't Nuetella basically chocolate frosting with some hazelnut?

Yuck.

I like fried spam but out of the can? Eeeeeeeeeew. Its slimy dude.
 

nickcv

Member
I eat SPAM straight up out of the can. It's delicious, and how it got the reputation for being made from unnamed parts of a pig like scrapple or goetta is beyond me. Shoulder Pork and Ham.

Shit, it's not cheap, either. It should be noted that if there were Hawaiians participating in this study, chances are they already have developed a greater appreciation for SPAM than mainlanders. It's like the go-to meat over there. So, not surprised.

Isn't Nuetella basically chocolate frosting with some hazelnut?

it's not frosting, is more like a cream.
And not surprisingly Ferrero (the owner of the Nutella company) is the richest italian man.
 

studyguy

Member
Exporting hypertension and possibly obesity from inactivity to Mars when we take that trip. Hits me right in the Murrikan.
 

Clydefrog

Member
Reminded me of:

316558_large.jpg

I've been to the "Bio Dome" (Biosphere 2) in Arizona. It's actually quite fascinating. The university does some research there but the whole live-in studies are long gone. It was eerie because it looked kind of abandoned. When I visited, I was like one of twenty people to visit that day. It's pretty cool being able to walk around by yourself with barely anyone else around.
 
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