 Astronaut Chris Hadfield poses with Hawk One at the Aviation Museum in Edmonton on July 1, 2011. (PERRY MAH/QMI AGENCY)
|
If you have a favourite tasty Canadian treat, astronaut Chris Hadfield wants to hear from you.
Hadfield will be going to the International Space Station in 2012 for six months, and he's asking for suggestions of "typical Canadian food" to take with him to share with the other astronauts.
"While there, if you do the math, I'll eat more than 500 meals and something like 300 snacks," Hadfield said in a message on the Canadian Space Agency website, where people can go to suggest their snacks.
"Just like on Earth, we share meals to come together," he said. "Help me bring some of my home with me to space."
In past missions, astronaut Robert Thirsk took wild pink salmon from the West Coast and dried cranberries from Quebec, while Julie Payette shared beef jerky from Alberta and maple leaf cookies from Ontario.
The CSA website, which has full contest rules, notes the astronauts don't have a refrigerator to keep food fresh, so whatever is suggested must have a long shelf life. Dried, canned or dehydrated food is ideal.
Beverages and alcohol are not permitted, and preference is given to low-sodium products. Due to the weightless environment aboard the ISS, items without strong odours and those with few crumbs are also recommended.
Judges, including Hadfield, will taste-test the suggestions later this summer. If your item is taken into space, you will receive a photograph of the astronauts eating your food and a call from Hadfield.
