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Indian Scientists Told to Create a Curry for Astronauts in Space!

by Suranee | March 28, 2009 at 03:03 am

201 views | 64 Recommendations | 9 comments

The Defence Food Research Laboratory has 6 years to accomplish making a curry for the astronaut India plans to send to space in 2015.

A.S. Bawa says that its difficult to digest hot and spicy food and hot gravies in "zero gravity." Dosa and fried bhajis may also be in the menu.

A team of Indian military boffins has been tasked with a particularly tricky mission: to develop a curry to be consumed by astronauts in space.

Last month India had approved a 1.1-billion pound manned mission, and plans to send a man into space by 2015 and hopes to send some familiar food with him.
However, making food that tastes good in space can be a tedious task, according to A. S. Bawa, the director of the Defence Food Research Laboratory (DFRL), who is tackling the project.

Bawa said his team faced several hurdles.

"Curry tends to be spicy, high in fat content and uses many ingredients; all these factors present significant challenges," The Telegraph quoted him, as telling The Times.

"We cannot afford the stomach of an astronaut to be strained," he added.

Spicy meals and hot sauces are being avoided, says Bawa, because they could be hard to digest in zero gravity.

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Paschen

at 03:39 on March 28th, 2009

I think curry pills may end up being made.

Space food as well as Army rations are based of good balanced nutrition and compact storage as well as light weight.

Not culinary taste though.

Suranee

at 04:02 on March 28th, 2009

Curry pills sounds interesting. Not a bad idea at all.

Amitjha

at 04:38 on March 28th, 2009

So curry party will be there in space.The taste will be fine, because it will cost in millions per single plate, specially when they will enjoy it lookking at beggars and hungry mass in the streets.

Barry Artiste

at 05:40 on March 28th, 2009

Uh, one can only imagine the Curry Farts in space when Oxygen is at a premium. Like where the Hell do you go, when a guy fires one out? Deep Space Walk? For hours and hours!

Amy Judd

at 08:03 on March 28th, 2009

Cool, I enjoy curry so I can imagine their desire to not miss out just because they are in space.

Chaitanya S

at 08:08 on March 28th, 2009

People at DFRL are quite good at this stuff. Their achievements include high altitude instant khichdi and pulao for Indian soldiers in Kashmir.

http://www.hindu.com/2007/05/13/stories/2007051301900500.htm

http://www.hindu.com/2005/10/02/stories/2005100211260400.htm

Patricia Turo

at 09:09 on March 28th, 2009

I'm all for curry anywhere at anytime. There is a lab in Natick Massachusetts that develops food packets for the military and for space and they have been very successful in upgrading the quality of this type of food. I'm sure they will come up with something and we will eventually see it in our markets.