taikonauts

China's future astronauts can't have bad breath, cavities, or scars if they hope to join the next wave of Chinese space exploration. Hospitals have begun the first of three rounds of tests to weed out candidates who fail to meet the rigorous standards.

Officials from Chinas space program have said before that they plan to develop gourmet food for their astronauts, known as taikonauts. Now theyve 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.

Chinas next manned mission is planned for 2008, but even if all goes well, and the stewed duck is perfect, the taikonauts meal probably wont 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