ISS Food Shortage Cause Revealed

Dan East writes "As previously reported on Slashdot, the two-man crew of the ISS had to ration food intake because the food supply had run mysteriously low. At a recent press release the reason for the shortage was revealed: the previous ISS crew consumed food meant for the other crew. "They had permission to do that but did not record how much they had eaten"."

New fad diet

[nizo]

The two U.S. and Russian astronauts on the International Space Station had to rely on a candy-laden diet for five weeks because their predecessors raided the pantry. "Both of us ended up losing a few pounds," U.S. astronaut Leroy Chiao said in a news conference from the station on Wednesday.

I can see it now, the new "candy only space station" diet fad. I can't wait to see how many pounds I lost after eating fudge and chocolate for the past two weeks.

Simpsons Space Station Food

[teiresias]

I thought they had sturgeon aplenty aboard space stations.

And In Other News...

[ackthpt]

The previous crew beat up the current crew for their lunch money.

vice president cheney was appalled, "that should have gone to halliburton!"

Re:I don't know,

[exhilaration]

Dude, there's no 7-eleven near the ISS! But I hear Starbucks is opening three locations there any day now.

heh

[boschmorden]

the astronauts should have done a better job labeling the food in the fridge! damn, i hate when people eat my food at work that i put in there.

They ran out of food because...

[tsmithnj]

...the refridge was an older 16-bit model

I don't believe it!

[Anonymous Coward]

Wait wait wait.

You mean the food is missing because someone ate it?

It wasn't an advanced plasma-based alien civilization surrounding the ship and impregnating it with mysterious "digester rays" that convert protein into a subatomic substance capable of passing through metal? So they could slowly feed their young without being noticed?

And it's not the case that the crew's flesh is immune to this only because of a freak coincidence based on the structure of their nylon garments and a compound exuded by the human body when weightless?

And that even as I type this the hungry life forms are growing and preparing to use the same mysterious force in reverse to manifest themselves before the shocked and frightened crew? Broadcast live around the globe so we may all be terrified to witness a strange new life form consume the human astronauts before our very eyes like drinking juice through a straw, leaving the indigestible compounds suspended in midair suggesting just the shape of a former living, breathing human before disappating to the four corners of the ship as surviving crew members weep and pull heir hair in terror, not wanting to be the next to issue the blood-curdling screams?

I think they should double-check. Just in case.

Re:And In Other News...

[stupidfoo]

dude... 2004 called, they want their joke back...

Oh wait - it's still December. Oh well, carry on.

Because...

[Anonymous Coward]

In space, no-one can hear your stomach rumble

Re:New fad diet

[ackthpt]

I can see it now, the new "candy only space station" diet fad. I can't wait to see how many pounds I lost after eating fudge and chocolate for the past two weeks.

Call it the Dentist Diet, because you'll lose a few teeth to it, too and maybe develope diabetes.

i can just see it, paris hilton showing great care and concern for all the unfortunate spacers, just before she goes down on ... uh ... a big candy cane.

not surprising...

[sci50514]

the previous ISS crew are Americ... never mind.... :)

I told them....

[WerewulfX]

Filming the next season of "The Biggest Loser" there was a really bad idea!

Re:please mod parent down

[Anonymous Custard]

I'm trying to eat here and a picture of a naked fat man is putting me off my breakfast.

Haven't you heard? The "picture a naked fat man" technique is the latest diet craze!

Sounds like a bad roomate situation.

[jzarling]

No ever ever drank my beer but it was always gone....

Re:New fad diet

[PoopJuggler]

This will morph into some sort of Low-Carb Cannibalism Diet when they really run out of food...

Re:I don't know,

[Anonymous Coward]

They were a short shuttle ride away from a Blake's 7-11, though...

My roomates

[Momoru]

This totally happened with me and my old roomates, thats why you gotta put your name on those food packets or Vladimir will totally eat your liquid potato chips when he gets high.

Re:Roomate problems

[ackthpt]

I can really relate, I've had roommates eat my food before. Grazing for food was practically a sport in some of the houses which I have lived.

Wait until that shit's happening in your workplace and see how people feel about it.

At a job, years ago, someone pinched a woman's food and she sent out a decidely angry company-wide email, threatening to put rat poison in her food next time. It was all rather amusing, especially when the execs tried to play it down with a follow-up email

can't we all just get along?

News indeed

[Anonymous Coward]

Eating causes food shortage -- just news.
Eating causes food shortage... in space! -- news for nerds.

That's no refrigerator...

[Gudlyf]

...it's a space station.

Coming up next ... Donner Pass at Mars

[__aaclcg7560]

If the ISS crew can't be trusted to restrain their appetites, what's going to happen on a trip to Mars (where half the crew might be in suspended animation)? Donner Party Cookbook [prweb.com]

Old Mother Hubble

[mrux]

the previous ISS crew consumed food meant for the other crew. "They had permission to do that but did not record how much they had eaten".

Now THAT'S not rocket science.
Rocket science is for getting you to the empty cupboard.

Re:heh

[bwy]

Nah, they just need a space station linebacker. Perhaps Terry Tate, office linebacker, has a brother or something in need of work.

it's a training problem

[belmolis]

This is obviously a training problem. Nobody showed them how to run the food synthesizer. They've been standard in Federation starships since the 1960s.

So does this mean...

[rewt66]

It was a bean-counting error?

Re:New fad diet

[stratjakt]

You can, however, put yourself into a diabetic coma by eating too much sweet stuff - though that's not the same as having diabetes.

I heard once that it used to be commonplace to "punish" kids who stole candy by making them eat a bowl of sugar, kind of like the "im going to watch you smoke every one of these!" ploy. More than one kid was put into a coma, or died as a result.

Yeah, you can OD on sugar.

The previous crew...

[ryanvm]

So was this [springfieldparadise.com] the previous crew?

In Soviet Russia

[Guernica Bill]

Speaking of 2004's jokes, In Soviet Russia, depleted ISS rations eat you.

Re:Coming up next ... Donner Pass at Mars

[Squatchman]

At least half the crew will already be "on ice" for when they're needed.

This was not an accident people!

[stupidNewbie]

The Americans were testing the effects of Medical Marijuana in space. Consequently, it was necessary to measure how weightlessness affects the munchies. Of course they didn't remember how much they ate.. they were stoned. Dude... We're high *and* we're high! Now where did that freeze dried ice cream go?

Re:not surprising...

[Zak3056]

The previous crew were Gennady Padalka (RN3DT) and Edward "Fat Mike" Fincke (KE5AIT).

Let me get this straight... they had a guy named Fat Mike aboard, and it took them this freaking long to determine that the previous crew ate the missing food?! One would think the obvious first question would be, "Hey Fat Mike, did you eat all the food on the ISS?"

Re:damn capitalist pigs

[myowntrueself]

Yeah something like...

"Piiiigsssss iiiiinnnnn Spaaaaace!!!!!!"

(it just reminded me of that Muppets show...)

if they had used a

[geekoid]

rfid system, they could automate their inventory.

I'll be happy to design for free! As long as I can only do onsite repairs, and they pay for the commute.

Re:One word: Minibar

[mmegremis]

Haha, they probally take whatever they eat out of there own paycheck. Its like all the hotels you stay at, the complamentary fridge, but everything inside is extra. Welcome to ISS! We would like to provide you a varity of food and services while aboard our awsome space station. However, anything moved, touched, consumed, or damager will come directally out of your paycheck. However, this mission only, deserts and candybars are free!!

Re:Interesting what was left

[LiquidCoooled]

I wouldn't want to be locked inside a sealed tin can with fellow crewmembers after curry night.

Re:New fad diet

[hawk]

And you thought that earth-bound roommates were a hassle . . .

hawk

Conversion problem?

[Anonymous Coward]

Not enough food? I thought they had the imperial versus metric problem worked out by now.