WANTED: Volunteers to test space food for NASA

Not everyone gets the opportunity to become an astronaut. But now you can at least eat like one. That is, if you are chosen by NASA to spend four months in Hawaii in a spacesuit eating astronaut food.

And you’ll get paid a hefty sum for the privilege.

It is all part of an experiment Cornell University and the University of Hawaii are conducting for NASA amid volcanic rubble on Hawaii’s Big Island.

Volunteers will spend about 120 days in a camp that will simulate what life would be like for astronauts on Mars. They will eat a range of instant foods under the observation of scientists who hope to find out whether astronauts will fare better with freeze-dried foods, or meals from shelf-stable ingredients such as flour, beans and cheese.

Volunteers will receive about $5,000 for participating in the experiment and a round trip to Hawaii.

To be part of the experiment, volunteers must have a Bachelor’s Degree in engineering, math, biological or physical sciences, or computer science.

The application deadline is Wednesday. For more information visit http://manoa.hawaii.edu/hi-seas/