“Are you taking any bees onboard to help with the pollination?” a reporter asked.
“At one time, there had been a discussion about bringing a hive of live bees for crop pollination,” Valerie replied. “But, concerns about cross contamination and a total crop failure (as well as a phobia about them getting loose) far outweighed the benefit of space travel with bees. Also, they didn’t want to be swatting bees while dodging a stream of asteroids. That would be just a bit too hectic and hazardous to their health. A hive or two will be brought to Mars on a future mission, thereby helping to keep the greenhouses going strong.”