N° 17–2020: A perfect dinner under the stars: which Saarland speciality will ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer get to savour in outer space?

A new spin on “Star” cuisine! ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer will set off for the International Space Station (ISS) at the end of 2021, and like his European Astronaut Corps colleagues, he is allowed to bring his favourite “crew choice meal” with him besides the usual inter-galactic fodder astronauts enjoy. A contest will see ten restaurateurs from Maurer's home region go head to head to create the delicious delicacies the proud Saarlander will pack for his journey into outer space.

A special Tourismus Zentrale Saarland GmbH webpage gives the public a taste for the contestants and the menu items they have cooked up (currently served in their restaurants) – and the public have until 7 November to vote for their favourite fare on this website.

Before we know which dish Maurer will savour aboard the ISS, the three top-rated restaurateurs will first have to win over an expert jury who will sample each meal on a TV special aired by the Saarländischer Rundfunk network: “Mit Herz am Herd ins All” (“Hearty Meals from Outer Space” in German). Jury members include Anke Kaysser-Pyzalla (Chair of the Executive Board of the German Aerospace Center - DLR), Tobias Hans (Minister-President of Saarland), Michael Backes (CEO of the CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security and Spokesperson of the Saarland Ambassadors), Jörg Hofmann (Head of Global Culinary Excellence at LSG Group) and Jan Wörner (ESA Director General).

So when Matthias Maurer samples the winning menu for the first time aboard the ISS he will be in for a surprise!

Since many factors need to be considered when preparing cosmic cuisine, ESA is working in Germany with LSG Group, a certified catering company that will prepare the top-scoring spread so it can be preserved in space.

The dish prepared for Matthias Maurer’s delectation will be decided on the TV special to be aired by Saarländischer Rundfunk (SR) on 21 November at 6.15 pm . 

Information

More information about ESA Astronaut Matthias Maurer:
https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Astronauts/Matthias_Maurer 

More information about the Tourismus Zentrale Saarland GmbH: https://www.urlaub.saarland/
More information about the LSG Group: https://www.lsg-group.com/

More information about the preparation of space food (article in German):
https://www.lsg-group.com/news/stories/space-food-lsg-group-kocht-crew-choice-meals-fur-esa-astronaut-matthias-maurer/

More information about the Saarlandbotschafter: https://www.saarlandbotschafter.de/
More information about the German Aerospace Center - DLR: https://www.dlr.de
More information about Saarländischer Rundfunk SR: https://www.sr.de/sr/home/index.html

More information about ESA: www.esa.int 

Images:

Matthias Maurer image gallery:
https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Search?SearchText=Matthias+Maurer&result_type=images

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www.esa.int/spaceinimages/ESA_Multimedia/Copyright_Notice_Images

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Matthias Maurer video gallery: 
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