This Is What China's Astronauts Will Eat In Space

People on Weibo are obsessed with what food China will bring on their space missions. Compare these with photos of Korean, Russian, and Japanese space food.

On Tuesday night, China launched Shenzhou X ("Arc Number 10") into space. According to the Financial Times, Beijing plans to build a space station by next year, and send crew to the moon by 2020.

Mostly, folks on Weibo are obsessed with what Chinese food they serve in space, especially since the launch coincides with Dragon Boat Festival, which is usually celebrated with a feast.

The Chinese crew was happy to oblige by showing their menus. Here's what they're having:

Sweet rice dumplings IN SPACE

Via s.weibo.com

The Dragon Boat Festival commemorates the suicide and drowning of poet Qu Yuan. You're supposed to toss dumplings into the river to stop fish from nibbling on his corpse, which is hella metal. This is what the astronauts will be eating (or feeding to cosmic fish) to mark the holiday.

And this is what the dish normally looks like on earth.

Via 52tongchi.com

Filled with sweet red bean paste.

Also for the holidays: sweet lotus seeds.

This is what is usually looks like on earth.

Yangchow Fried Rice

Via news.sina.com.cn

Unfortunately, the astronauts haven't opened these yet.

Chinese barbecue chicken

Via news.sina.com.cn

They haven't open these either, but it seems pretty fancy for cosmic camping.

Just for comparison: this is what Japanese astronauts eat

From left to right: red ginger inari rice ball, two flavors of ramen, and savory okonomiyaki pancakes. These were reportedly a huge hit when Japanese space crew brought it to the International Space Station (which China has been barred from participating in).

Korea spent millions developing space kimchi

Via english.chosun.com

This is according to The New York Times. Normally, you ferment kimchi by growing healthy microbes on cabbage. Researchers feared that germs would mutate in extreme temperature fluctuations in space, so they had to invent ways to kill the microbes without killing the taste.

Other Korean space diner food include bulgogi (barbecue marinated pork) and spicy ramen.

Russian cosmonauts have a choice of 300 food items

Including goulash, jellied sturgeon fish, borsch, black currant juice, beef jerky, and broccoli. Russia, being one of the original space dorks, has had a long time to stock its pantry.

And the U.S. collaborates with Russia to stock the International Space Station's kitchen

Neapolitan ice cream looks like erasers.