Chinese Astronaut Says Space Food Tastes 'Great'

Reuters ^ | 10-15-03

[Brian S]

Oct. 15 — BEIJING (Reuters) - China's first man in space told his wife and son Wednesday that the bite-size food he took along for his 21-hour journey around Earth tasted "great."

"Daddy, have you eaten rice yet? What did you eat?" eight-year-old Yang Ningkang asked his astronaut father in a conversation broadcast on state television.

"I've already eaten, ate space food," said Yang Liwei, 38, during his eighth orbit around Earth. "It tastes great."

Yang was to dine on specially designed packets of more than 20 kinds of family-style Chinese fare, including shredded pork with garlic sauce, spicy "kung pao" chicken and "eight treasures" rice, the official Xinhua news agency said.

Yang's meals were to be washed down with Chinese herbal tea and health boosting tonics, it said.

[CheneyChick]

You mean, Yang Can't Cook?

[Textide]

I'm no fan of communist regimes, but putting a man up in space and bringing him back again is a hell of a feat regardless of which nation does it. Not many can.

[Semper Paratus]

You wouldn't want to spit it out up there.

[oyez]

He docked at our space station's McDonald's for a sack of Yank.

[Rebelbase]

Anyone know when the Chicom is scheduled for re-entry?

[11th Earl of Mar]

Tastes great... compared to wild cat?

[irv]

Its kind of sickening to see the world look upon the Chinese astronaut as a great accomplishment when you compare it to what the US did with Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and the space shuttle.

I agree and disagree. This actually is a significant accomplishment for a pretty backwards country. It's not the same as blazing a new trail, like we did. It's not groundbreaking or revolutionary.

On the other hand, that taikonaut up there really is a brave man who's joined a still very exclusive club. I don't blame his people for being proud of him.

[steveo]

"I've already eaten, ate space food,"

Space Food Sticks! YUM :p

[kenth]

I agree. It was disgusting to see how many articles there were wondering if this means a new space race, and if the U.S. was falling behind.

They're only forty years late...

[Snuffington]

Is he hungry a half hour later?

No, no. SPACE hungry.

[Frank_Discussion]

"Its kind of sickening to see the world look upon the Chinese astronaut as a great accomplishment when you compare it to what the US did with Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and the space shuttle."

It's even more sickening that we can't do it right now. It doesn't matter what we did "then" it matters what we're capable of "now".

If you consider that a new space race may be beginning at this very moment, we're losing. Then again, the last time this happened, when ultimately won. And we can again, if we rightly recognize China for the threat that it is.

[Brian S]

But of course...


Shenzhou 5 is scheduled to land on the Inner Mongolian grasslands of northern China at about 6 a.m. Thursday (6 p.m. EDT Wednesday). The weather is expected to be clear.

[Frank_Discussion]

NASA's current stance: "I USED to be a Contenda!"

[RightWhale]

The Shenzhou seems to be the equivalent of the Apollo stack with only the Lunar Module missing. With this setup, China could perform a circumlunar mission next year, and NASA couldn't match it for 10 years. In that sense, China is 10 years ahead of the US. Seem to be a lot of Chinese food jokes going around, but it is whistling past the graveyard. Would it be surprising if China wheeled out a Lunar Module in the next year? They also don't need a rocket as huge as the Saturn V, so don't look for that, either. Two launches, a rendevous of capsule and lunar booster, and they are in business. Next year.

[bobsatwork]

"It tastes great." That's good, 'cause it may be your last meal.

[Frank_Discussion]

They aren't listening, y'know. The whistlers have their fingers in their ears. In this case, they can't concieve of history repeating itself.

I am not having an anxiety attack over this, but it does concern me.

Russia was considered backward, too. Oh gee, this is a Russian-derivative spacecraft, isn't? Curious...

[r9etb]

Just a guess, mind you -- but I'm betting Yang is one of the folks whose first day in space is spent barfing.

(OTOH, he's probably strapped in and confined -- the Gemini and Mercury guys didn't get sick, but the Apollo and later guys did, because they could move around....)

[irish guard]

Didn't know they could cook cats up in space!!!

[r9etb]

Russia was considered backward, too. Oh gee, this is a Russian-derivative spacecraft, isn't? Curious...

The dirty secret is that manned space flight isn't really that difficult, once you've figured out how to reliably put things in orbit in the first place. The cost of manned spaceflight comes as a result of safety factors -- "don't kill the crew" sorts of things.

[RightWhale]

They aren't listening, y'know.

True. A massive epidemic of infectious 'don't care.'