That’s one small step for Thailand, but one giant leap for Southeast Asia’s stinkiest fruit.
Thailand plans to launch durian into orbit to check its durability in a project during which the staple “king of fruits” could possibly be eaten in zero gravity.
“We want astronauts to have the ability to eat Thai food in the long run,” said a spokesman for Thailand’s Geoinformatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA).
“We need to see if there are any physical changes when it returns to Earth, resembling it’d shrink or break.”
This sticky snack is eaten throughout the region and is known for each its popularity and its pungent smell, which has resulted in durian being banned from hotel rooms, elevators and airplane cabins.
The fruit’s status raises questions on how it would be received in tight spaces like a spaceship.
However, the test, conducted by a corporation whose name has not been publicly disclosed, will use a dried and vacuum-packed version of the fruit, which has a much weaker odor.
The launch is scheduled for July, when the durian packages might be sealed, placed in a box and shot into space on a rocket for five minutes.
Various forms of Thai rice will even make your adventurous journey more enjoyable.
Technological progress and the growing number of nations sending their residents into space have enriched astronauts’ controlled cuisine with latest flavors.
And as Asia keeps pace with more established space programs, the menu is becoming more diverse.
The pickled kimchi dish boldly went where few fermented vegetables had gone before, when a South Korean astronaut took it along with her in 2008.
Source : AFP and Jakarta Post.
