Strange: NASA is hiring chefs to cook Mars food

NASA is hiring chefs for simulated Mars mission. Wouldn't our money be better spent on getting a manned launch vehicle? We have to get to mars before we have to worry about what to cook when we get there. If you are interested, you can apply here.

(Newser) – NASA is on the lookout for a few good cooks to experience life on Mars. Researchers backed by the space agency are seeking a team of volunteers for a simulation of the journey. Its aim: to determine what to put on the menu for a hypothetical future trip, which would last three years. Participating in the simulation would mean spending four months in a base on a Hawaii lava flow, wearing imitation spacesuits and eating what astronauts currently eat—plus cooking using a selection of durable ingredients.

NASA wants to choose inexpensive, healthy foods—and it wants to ensure astronauts don't get sick of the offerings. "It's important to keep astronauts eating well," says a researcher at Cornell, where the pre-Hawaii training sessions will be held. "It goes to mission success and astronaut safety."