Discrimination? Why it'll be vegetarians only on NASA's mission to Mars

[Tim Gier]

• By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
• 7/18/2012
• Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

The 2030 mission to Mars will feature an all vegetarian crew.

Only vegetarians will be visiting Mars, or at least that's according to the people who are in charge of designing the menu for NASA's Martian astronauts who may visit the planet sometime in the 2030's. Researchers have already begun planning the mission and are working on the all-important menu.

Food matters. It's one of the most important contributors to morale and well being, especially when you're living in cramped quarters and facing imminent life and death situations. This has been known throughout history. Ancient records tell of feasts before battles, in more modern times extra rations have been issued to troops before sending them over the top. Today, even condemned prisoners get last meals delivered.

For astronauts, food is a much more complicated thing. For one, weightless environments affect taste. For another, a round trip to Mars will take almost three years with 18 of those months spent on the planet. Their food will have to last the duration and remain edible. 

(...)

Why will all the astronauts be vegetarian? It's not really discrimination. Instead, it's because meat and dairy products can't be kept for the long duration of the mission. Therefore, all the meals must be vegetarian -- they can't be anything else. 

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