Farming their way to Mars: Gardeners and chefs likely to join astronauts on first trip to the Red Planet

I hope we can afford this someday, but it really isn't looking good. From the Daily Mail:

Astronauts on the first manned mission to Mars are likely to number horticultural experts and chefs as well as more traditional ex-military personnel.

Supplying enough food for a round trip to the Red Planet is one of the greatest challenges facing mission planners, experts were told yesterday.

[. . .]

Dr Maya Cooper, from Nasa's Space Food Systems Laboratory in Houston, Texas, said a five-year mission to Mars would require almost 7,000lb of food per person.

[. . .]

'We need new approaches. Right now, we are looking at the possibility of implementing a bio-regenerative system that would involve growing crops in space and possibly shipping some bulk commodities to a Mars habitat as well.

'This scenario involves much more food processing and meal preparation than the current food system developed for the space shuttles and the International Space Station.'

Bio-regenerative systems involve growing 'multi-task' plants that not only provide food but also release oxygen for astronauts to breathe, remove the carbon dioxide they exhale, and even purify water.

Nasa expects to launch its first manned mission to Mars in the 2030s.

Photo: NASA; image of Endeavor crater, Mars