NASA has been carrying out many missions throughout history. Astronauts, when hundreds of kilometers from Earth, must carry a series of very important restrictions in terms of diet, among which it is worth noting the non-intake of alcohol. And no, it is not because drunken events have occurred in the past that could tarnish the reputation of the US body. In fact, experiments with alcohol and derivatives have been carried out, but not to be able to drink the drink on the International Space Station, reports Gear Rice.
Research and experiments
It is important to bear in mind that there are a whole great number of companies that, simply for the publicity that their appearance in a video from the ISS can offer, you want to ship your products. This, however, must be supported by a related research study aimed at obtaining answers to questions about how the presence of microgravity affects your products. In specific cases, supply missions have been sent in which alcohol has been included as part of the equipment.
Let’s see, therefore, what are the keys to understanding NASA’s position in relation to the possibility of drinking in space, why the public space agency is very straight in its policy and, of course, to what extent it is possible in sending material with degrees of alcohol to the International Space Station. It is, without a doubt, a small inconsistency that has, perhaps, more sense than you think.
NASA doesn’t allow alcohol on missions, but it’s all for a good cause
NASA does not allow a bottle of champagne to be uncorked in a microgravity environment or simply to open a bottle of whiskey, rum or gin, among other distilled products. The reason is not directly related to the havoc these liquors can wreak on a person’s control, but rather to the corrosive power they can have on the technology present in the control components of the spaceship. According to Business Insider, we are faced with a proposal to avoid accidents and breakdowns of notable repercussion.
Even so, bottles of red wine, beer or whiskey have been observed in successive shipments of equipment. The objective of this type of projects, which are perfectly incorporated in protected lots, is to be able to see how microgravity affects these environments. It has been possible to obtain a series of answers related to these projects. How does this characteristic of the space affect the fermentation of the wine? What about distilled products like gin? These are issues that can mark the future of the sector.
Even so, a production under these characteristics would incorporate a very notable premium, reducing the demand for the final product. Despite this, companies such as Budweiser carried out shipments of alcohol to the International Space Station with the aim of verifying how an environment of these characteristics affected the product. Other projects, such as the one related to a Japanese whiskey, have been hundreds of kilometers from Earth for more than 4 years. What value will it have once it is decided to return these products to the factory?
Space Cargo Unlimited, a Luxembourg startup, has been carrying out timely shipments to the International Space Station. It is expected that more alternatives of this class will be available in future shipments, which could lead to the analysis of a greater number of alcoholic beverages in the future.
Did you subscribe to our daily Newsletter?
It’s Free! Click here to Subscribe
Source: Gear Rice
