Space station guest's meal plan: roast quail to go

[IRiSHMaFIA]

WASHINGTON - When a billionaire who keeps company with Martha Stewart goes into space, he can't be expected to eat freeze-dried spaghetti and wash it down with powdered orange drink.

Space Adventures Ltd., the company that will be sending software mogul Charles Simonyi to the International Space Station on April 7, said on Tuesday he will be bringing along a special meal.

The menu was selected by Stewart, the U.S. guru of fine living who has been romantically linked to the Hungarian-born Simonyi, and features quail roasted in Madrian wine, duck breast with capers, shredded chicken parmentier, apple fondant pieces, rice pudding with candied fruit and semolina cake with dried apricots.

The meal has already been prepared by associates of French chef-restaurateur Alain Ducasse and packed into aluminium containers for the trip. Simonyi will be joined for the special dinner by the Russian cosmonaut and two U.S. astronauts living aboard the space station, as well as the crew of the Soyuz rocket that will ferry him to the station.

"I am really looking forward to sharing this dinner with my crewmates on the station," Simonyi said in a statement. "Although the food is very good there, it is somewhat basic, and after a couple of weeks, everything starts tasting the same. I am certain a little variation will be surely welcome."

Simonyi, who had a key role in developing Microsoft's Word and Excel programs, will be the fifth "space tourist" to visit the station as part of a program by Space Adventures Ltd. Stewart said in January she plans to be in Kazakhstan to watch as a Russian rocket blasts off with Simonyi aboard.

Simonyi paid between $20 million (10.2 million pounds) and $25 million for the 10-day stay aboard the space station.

NASA frequently tries to enliven dinners for astronauts. On a shuttle mission last year astronauts were treated to a meal prepared by U.S. television chef Emeril Lagasse.

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omg that's some bit of money to pay to go to the space station. That's one thing to cross off my list of things I wanted to do before I bite the bullet!

[Kezza]

Isn't Richard Branson offering some kind of "space experience"? Maybe that will be in your budget, IRiSH!! (Or perhaps you should start buying lottery tickets!!)

Personally, if I had that much money, I'd have a hard time justifying spending it on space exploration. There's so many other (charitable) ventures that could benefit from $20 million. But, that's just my 2p.

[IRiSHMaFIA]

[eefanincan]

Far more than I'd be willing to pay for a space trip! I could think of far better ways to spend/donate it. But it would be interesting to go into space though.

And that's some meal! Sounds just like something Martha Stewart would whip up.

[faceless]

I think the cost of the tourists in this case goes towards funding the research aspects of the space-station. I feel sorry for the scientists having to compromise their space for the extra money, but if that's what it takes to do the studies without worrying about funding then it's a necessary evil.

For some reason I have this image in my head of the guy demanding to know where the casino is.

[IRiSHMaFIA]