Posted 12/06/2004 05:06:00 PM by Douglas

In orbit you can't exactly pull over for some corn nuts when you get hungry.

NASA is drafting a plan to evacuate the International Space Station because the two-man crews are eating more than engineers predicted, prompting a critical food shortage weeks earlier than expected.

Their agreement called for evacuation planning to begin about one month before food, water or breathable air supplies dip to 45 days' worth. The idea is for a crew to leave if the supply falls below 30 days. That would leave enough behind for astronauts to return to the station later.

"They have been working on a de-manning plan," Hartsfield said.

NASA and its partners knew food and water were tight when they decided to go ahead and launch the crew and the station hit the 45-day limit before the Christmas re-supply ship arrived. But at the time, engineers expected the food not to reach that critical level until Christmas.

However, astronauts are eating about 25 percent more food than expected. A series of repeated food audits, during which Chiao counted food containers in the station pantry and then engineers on the ground ran new calculations, has been going on since just after Thanksgiving.

Running out of food and water, de-manning plan in work. Doesn't look good for the ISS this week.