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Japan expects its first astronaut to take up residence on the space station to arrive in October. Next year, NASA plans to double the number of live-aboard crewmembers from three to six. "Culture and education are ideas that have been brought up," Yoshiyuki Hasegawa, Japan's space station program manager, said in an interview. "Art and dancing may be in the near future...astronauts will paint and (do) traditional writing." Space Cuisine One aspect of Japanese culture has already been embraced by the orbital space community -- its food. Japan has developed 28 items to add to astronauts' menu choices, said Vickie Kloeris, who manages the space station's food service for NASA. By the time astronaut Koichi Wakata arrives at the station in October to serve as Japan's first full-time crewmember, the pantry should include entrees, side dishes, condiments, desserts and beverages developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, Kloeris said. "Eventually they'll be available to other station crewmembers if they should desire them," she added. The Endeavour crew seems happy to serve as test subjects. The astronauts' menus include several orders of negima, a Japanese beef and scallions dish, okonomi, tofu with hoisin sauce, hot and sour soup and udon noodles to round out their meatloaf, fajitas, mashed potatoes, sausage patties and shrimp cocktails. "Food is so psychologically important," Kloeris said. "A lot of crewmembers are trying to seek as much variety as possible." "We are making a kind of small world up there," added Doi. "We are learning how to live together and how to work together." Related Links: |
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