A burrito for breakfast is always a tasty treat, even forastronauts in space.
Astronauts aboard NASA?s shuttle Discovery have started someof their mornings in orbit with tortillas stuffed with eggs and sausage, vitalingredients for any space breakfast burrito. The shuttle is dueto land at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida Friday evening after a day?sdelay to end a 14-day trek to the International Space Station.
Discovery?s resident burrito chef is Danny Olivas, whoperfected his space burrito recipe during a previous flight.
?Danny is an expert in zero-g burrito making,? astronaut JoseHernandez radioed Mission Control while narrating a video early Wednesday.
Tortillas are a staple in space since, unlike bread, theydon?t send crumbs floating every which way in weightlessness. But that doesn?tmean making a space burrito is any less challenging.
?If you?re not careful, the eggs will float all over themiddeck, so a little precision is required,? Discovery commander Rick Sturckowsaid. But the final result, he added, is a breakfast fit for any spaceflyer.
The shuttle astronauts have concocted some other space foodtreats during their mission.
Pilot Kevin Ford slathered peanut butter on a tortilla witha butter knife that clung to his creation. The astronaut dubbed it a ?peanutbutter popsicle.?
Astronaut Tim Kopra, who is returning to Earth after nearlytwo months aboard the International Space Station, tossed a Lifesaver candyring into a blob of water to create what he called a ?space eyeball.?
?It?s one of the skills all astronauts have, being able toplay with water and playwith food,? Kopra said.
Discovery?s shuttle astronauts are due to land in Florida Fridayat 5:48 p.m. EDT (2105 GMT), though stormy weather at the Kennedy Space Centercould force the crew to use a backup runway in California later this evening.
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SPACE.com is providing complete coverage of Discovery'sSTS-128 mission to the International Space Station with Managing Editor TariqMalik and Staff Writer Clara Moskowitz in New York. Click here for live shuttlelanding coverage, mission updates and a link to NASA TV.
