Chinese Space Merchandising

In a move that reminded me more of Spaceballs, The Movie, instead of a progressing space program, the Chinese have decided to sell the snacks that their astronauts will eat. Well, that worked so well for us when we trotted out Tang. When's the last time you saw a Tang commercial? Besides that, we see how very worrying the food quality issue has become in China, when the main selling point of the space snacks is its manufacturing standards: "For example, we required the air in the food workshop should be as clean as that in a pharmaceutical workshop." Right. Because it was the air that contaminated the pet food and the toothpaste. The Chinese have already executed the former food and drug agency chief. I don't think selling space snacks will reinforce how serious they are for reforming their quality controls. Prosecuting bribery and lax enforcement will do that better than "cosmic chocolate."