Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis for July 12, 2011

Toilet paper would be on my list.

Did either of you remember the stuffed tiger?

This is gonna be a real short trip…

Amateurs! Professional astronauts or cosmonauts would have run through all checklists before blast-off! [L’il] Guard Duck’s telling pause in panel 2 may go over Pig’s head, however. —Speaking of which, are Pig’s helmet-hoses purely decorative?

Sillies — there are lotsa bubbles in root beer. Carbon dioxide? That means TWO oxygens in every molecule, right?

Air shmair—-where did they get that box?!. . ..

When compiling the supply list, LGD Skippyed the oxygen.

Don’t you just hate those budget cuts?

Hope they don’t do that on a planetary scale.

Clever rendering of the strip on the T-shirt in the ad on the right. But next time, use a girl.

No problem. The void of space is still more dense than the void between their ears.

Root beer in space? Not a good idea. I found the following on NASA’s website:Astronauts must give up many of the comforts of home when they embark on space travel — privacy, the comfort of a familiar bed, home cooked meals, and even carbonated beverages are all left behind on Earth.The bubbles of carbon dioxide in carbonated beverages aren’t buoyant in a weightless environment, so they remain randomly distributed throughout the fluid, even after swallowing. This means that carbonated beverages including soft drinks and beer may become a foamy mess during space travel.Vickie Kloeris, Subsystem manager for Shuttle and ISS food systems at Johnson Space Center and program manager for NASA FTCSC, says “carbonated drinks currently don’t make the trip because the carbonation and the soda will not separate in microgravity. Some experiments have been done with special microgravity dispensers for soda, but it has not been perfected yet.”Even if a microgravity dispenser is perfected, there is no guarantee that carbonated beverages will be used in space. In space, with the absence of gravity, the carbon dioxide bubbles in carbonated beverages go through an astronaut’s digestive system, rather than being belched out as on Earth, and may cause adverse side effects.

Yeah, oxygen would be on my short list as well, an peanut butter wouldn’t even make my long list.

Are those air hoses on Pig’s helmet or are they there to accomodate his ears?

I think we stumbled on something there Pig.

Hehehehehehehehehehehehehe xxxx

No towel?

hahahahaha!

I just hope their drive doesn’t rely on oxygen, or they could be in Low Earth Orbit without a paddle.

Quick, call Dr. Mel….!

I thought LGD would have been more prepared for this…

there’s just no other strip like this one. If Mr. Pastis picked up a bit of inspiration from Watterson, we are all the richer for it.

No problem, guys, you can just order out for some; they’ll be there in a Jif.

Ladyfingers… Why would you ruin perfectly good peanut butter by putting jelly on it?

I think they’re for his ears.. lol.

Especially because of the loss of oxygen.

This feels like a tribute to “Red and Rover” I like it. :)

sigh….. you strain the root beer through a few duckfeathers, and take out all the bubbles before you drink it. >p>Then when you need oxygen, you crack some bubbles with your teeth and suck it out.You might want to save the carbon for fuel — but be careful, it’s messy.

Do I have to explain EVERYthing?

BTW the ear/air hoses on Pig’s helmet don’t matter, cos the face holes are open. Otherwise how could they munch peanut butter or crunch bubbles?

Um…. would somebody please go turn that first > around for me, so I get my paragraph break?

I don’t have a backstage pass.

Don’t anyone tell them what they’re doing is impossible. It’s a very long drop.

Are those dryer vent hoses on Pig’s helmet??

Neither did Lister’s alter-ego in Red Dwarf. He blowed up real good.

Mmmm good peanut butter

And if you’re allergic, go get almond butter.