ESA tests bacterial powder to feed Moon and Mars crews

The European Space Agency (ESA) has coined a tortured acronym for its project to feed astronauts on long-duration missions: HOBI-WAN (Hydrogen Oxidizing Bacteria In Weightlessness As a source of Nutrition). We at El Reg appreciate a good acronym stretch, and HOBI-WAN's implications for keeping astronauts fed and active during …

[may_i]

Solein

That's far too close to "Soylent"...

[Like a badger]

Re: Solein

The name can't change the fact: Nauts had better get ready for a diet of dried, powdered poo.

They'd better take a lot of the hottest chilli sauce money can buy.

[tony72]

... fermented with air (split into hydrogen and oxygen via electricity)

Okay, I'm historically bad at chemistry, but I'm pretty sure that air does not work that way. Should that not be water rather than air?

[Adair]

See that carboard box

... that's your food supply. Actually it's solid cardboard all the way through to the centre. Bon appetit.

One of the things about human beings and 'food' is that a varied diet of interesting and good flavours and textures generally does wonders for morale. The absence of the same does not make for a happy ship, or a happy crew!

[Chris Gray 1]

Re: See that carboard box

On a long enough mission 'nauts might get used to tubes of flavoured mush. Then, coming back to Earth and trying to eat all this stuff with weird shape and *textures* might actually be a problem. Recognizeable hunks of animals and plants - Ughh!

(At a Christmas dinner years ago, a family friend would eat slices of turkey breast, but wouldn't touch wings or drumsticks. Turns out he was OK with stuff as long as it wasn't physically recognizeable.)

[Adair]

Re: See that carboard box

'might get used to tubes of flavoured mush' - long experience of seafarers and the like shows that although they may well/often do 'get used' to eating the same dull crap day after day, it really doesn't help make for a psychologically resilient and generally 'happy' mission. People will put up with amazing levels of deprivation if they have to, or regard the sacrifice as worthwhile, but that isn't the same as having people working and relating at their optimum, it's more about mere 'survival', which really isn't the same thing at all.

When it comes to enduring and surviving a 'Mars mission', is that really the best we can do: "Enjoy your cardboard box. Try not to eat it all at once"?

[The Oncoming Scorn]

Re: See that carboard box

Turns out he was OK with stuff as long as it wasn't physically recognizeable.

He's not alone in that feeling.

[Neil Barnes]

Re: See that carboard box

Indeed not. I don't eat chicken - courtesy of a bad food poisoning donkey's years ago - or anything that resembles it, so other fowl, animals like guineapig or rabbit (or cat, I suppose).

I can force it down if it's not too recognisable, but if it's visibly chicken, I'll throw up before it goes down. A psychosomatic learned reflex no doubt, but simpler just to say 'I don't eat chicken'.

[I am David Jones]

Re: See that carboard box

Have you tried shoving the chicken up your arse so you can poo it out of your mouth?

[The Oncoming Scorn]

Missed Sub-Heading

"Help me, HOAGY-WAN, you're my only hope for lunch"

Icon - Looking for my sandwich bag!

[TVU]

"ESA tests bacterial powder to feed Moon and Mars crews"

It sounds like it might end up being something like Complan and that could also potentially come in a few different flavours like strawberry, vanilla, banana and savoury.

[TeeCee]

the company claims is "nutritious, vegan, and caters to every diet"

TL;DR - tastes like chicken

[Boris the Cockroach]

Who let

the swedes scrape out the fridge in my garage?

Anyway... the stuff sounds..... delightful

[Groo The Wanderer - A Canuck]

Probably tastier than Mickie D's! :)

[Pascal Monett]

Goodness me

Thank God I'm not going on a space mission. I'd end up eating a crewmember.

I need my proteins !

[Anonymous Coward]

Shouldn’t the French be in charge of this sort of thing?

They might at least rustle up something edible, a baguette and some roquefort and a nice Chateauneuf?

[Like a badger]

Re: Shouldn’t the French be in charge of this sort of thing?

See previous post by Pascal M. Apparently long cochon is on the menu. I dread to think what sort of cheese will feature.

[Winkypop]

That will explain it

Surely they’ve been testing this stuff out at Motorway services for years.

A wretched hive of scum and viruses…

[I ain't Spartacus]

Re: That will explain it

Winkypop,

Don't be silly. There's no requirement for motorway service station fare to contain any nutrition whatsoever.

And as for what goes in the pasties...

You'd hope it's just roadkill. But that's probably in the sarnies. It's Sweeney Todd's combined barbers and pasty company that do most of the catering.

[The Oncoming Scorn]

Re: That will explain it

"Sweeney Todd's combined barbers and pasty company"

Otherwise known as Ginsters.

Icon - Me in some discomfort after eating one of their offerings (Years ago), I very much doubt they have improved in the last 30 years.

[Greg 38]

Not Tang

Somehow I'm not seeing this fly off the store shelves like Tang did back in the day.