Eat Like a Taikonaut!

Officials from China’s space program have said before that they plan to develop gourmet food for their astronauts, known as taikonauts. Now they’ve announced plans to sell the new line of meals to the general public, allowing the average citizen to eat like a space hero. The Scientific Research and Training Center for Chinese Astronauts joined with a Shanghai-based company to develop 60 different meals, including roast pork, stewed duck and taro-stuffed mooncake. The latter sounds especially suited for space travel.  Or more so than Tang, at least.

China’s next manned mission is planned for 2008, but even if all goes well, and the stewed duck is perfect, the taikonauts’ meal probably won’t measure up to the one that billionaire entrepreneur Charles Simonyi sampled on the International Space Station last year. The space tourist, who earned his cash by helping to develop Microsoft Word, prepared a French meal under the tutelage of friend Martha Stewart, and then shared it with all onboard.—Gregory Mone

Via AP