Turkey a la Ziploc

Apparently there's nothing to do in space but snack. On Dec. 26 an emergency cargo ship docked at the International Space Station (ISS) carrying 440 pounds of food supplies for the two astronauts aboard. American and Russian space officials were concerned that they'd have to bring the two astronauts (one from each country) back to Earth, as food supplies had dwindled to alarming levels. Not that the agencies planned poorly; the astronauts have been eating, NASA says, "about 25 percent more food than expected."

So what's so great about Christmas turkey in a bag? Most astronauts eat foods that are either rehydrated or "thermostabilized" -- food that has been heat-treated to eliminate any harmful bacteria. Beverages are powdered. Everything comes in a single-serving, disposable bag or flexible cup, which is then jettisoned out of the station to incinerate once it hits Earth's atmosphere. Astronauts on the ISS get a menu that rotates every eight days -- and since the current two have been in space more than three months, one can't blame them for dipping into the pantry to mix things up. Yet a representative of the Russian program says it's not the two astronauts' fault; the guys before them ate all the good stuff and stuck them with the staples.