(Text 2) NASA are to dough where no man has gone before - by baking chocolate chip cookies in space.
A cargo ship bound for the International Space Station (ISS) took off from the US on Saturday with a special space oven and ingredients on board.
NASA are to dough where no man has gone before - by sending astronauts an oven so they can bake chocolate chip cookies in space
Astronauts on the ISS now hope to test the impact heat and zero gravity have on the shape and consistency of cookies.
The experiment is being dubbed the first instance of baking in space.
The dough was provided by Hilton's Double Tree hotel
chain.
And they reckon the "landmark microgravity experiment" could make long-duration space travel "more hospitable".
The Cygnus capsule was also loaded with other unusual equipment, including sports car parts and a vest to protect against radiation.
ISS astronauts will test the safety vest to gauge its comfort, while Italian carmaker Lamborghini has sent up samples of carbon fibre used in its sports cars to examine the effects of direct space exposure.
They are said to be precursors for trips to the Moon and Mars.
The capsule also contains the equipment needed to complete a series of spacewalks this month to fix a key particle physics detector, as well as a range of research equipment and crew supplies.
The shipment, weighing about 8,200lb (3,700kg), is expected to reach the ISS on Monday.
