Which items should astronauts bring with them to Mars?

nope, nope, no damn carousels, they draw clowns.

Quinine water

I think we need some Advent Calendars
Limes for mojitos
TV Guide
wooden matches
shin guards

Watch fob
Corn holders
Bug zapper
Chandelier

Fly swatters for when the power goes out
Woolite for hand washing wool sweaters
Clothes Pins
Spray Starch
Steam Iron

(just because you're on a trip doesn't mean you should look sloppy)

Push pins - lots of push pins

a cork board
AAA maps
Atlas
Unabridged Dictionary

The full set of the Oxford English Dictionary of course!

All editions of Trivial Pursuit

English - Martian translator machines

A cotton picker machine

I think that’s a set of encyclopedias!! That will really come in handy, good catch.

Several cases of galangal oil

(fresh galangal would be nice to make our own oil, but Martian climate conditions make this impossible)

What is galangal out, is it something you use to oil your galangal or is oil made from galangal?

Galangal oil is a medicinal item for many. Said to help with sleep, better the digestive system, right depress. For some, it's an aphrodisiac. Made from the galangal plant. There is also galangal tea. It gets a lot of use in traditional Chinese medical matters.

(just don't confuse it with ginger. Similar appearance, not the same benefits)


I first heard of it from my grandmother. Apparently her family used it when she was growing up.

They also had horehound drops - a sort of candy type thing with medical benefits.

Perhaps we should load a few skids with cartons of horehound drops too...

Schooner

calcium carbide and canaries, lotsa canaries

canary cages
canary food
cuttle bones
hat pins
Book of Mormon, so we can tell those nice young men who come to the door we already have one--we're good

Dinosaur fossils

mocha whoopie pies. (that is, until we can get the whoopie crop to "take" on Mars