I just received the press release regarding the recent test of beer brewed to be consumed in space. The brewer said they are trying to get the beer into the U.S., possibly by mid-April, so us earthbound misfits can give it a try.
Here’s the release:
Orlando, Florida – Astronauts4Hire has completed its inaugural paid contract to test the world’s first beer designed for consumption in space. The experiment, which marks humanity’s first formal study on alcohol absorption in microgravity, took place aboard a parabolic trajectory microgravity flight out of Cape Canaveral, Florida operated by Zero Gravity Corporation (ZERO-G). Yesterday’s flight was the first in a series of microgravity flights qualifying the beer recipe for consumption in space, funded in part by sales of the beverage on Earth.
The Vostok Space Beer, produced as a joint venture between Saber Astronautics Australia and the 4-Pines Brewing Company to serve the emerging space tourism market, is a high-flavor, low-carbonation stout designed for easy drinking both in microgravity and on Earth. Astronauts4Hire was contracted by the Vostok partners to provide the flight testing service.
Astronauts4Hire Flight Member Todd Romberger was selected to perform the flight research. Todd sampled the beer during 12 microgravity parabolas, each reproducing the weightless conditions of space for 30 seconds at a time, and recorded qualitative data on beverage taste and drinkability as well as biometric data to gain a first look at alcohol effects the body.
“It was exciting to participate in this ground breaking research,” said Todd. “I’m happy to say the flight was a success. We provided the customer with the data they needed, and made a little history along the way. Not to mention, the beer was delicious!”
Saber Astronautics Australia Director Dr. Jason Held praised Astronauts4Hire (A4H), saying “this was a challenging experiment which physically stressed the body to test effects specific to drinking beer in microgravity. It also had many small and repetitive tasks required to get the biometric data, requiring a high degree of hand-eye coordination and concentration to meet strict reporting requirements. A4H and Todd in particular performed superbly.”
To commemorate the flight, Astronauts4Hire will be selling a limited number of special edition space beer coasters that were flown in zero gravity aboard the historic test flight. Astronauts4Hire is honored to take a prime role in this research, helping to forge the path towards a robust commercial spaceflight industry.
– more –
About Astronauts4Hire:
Astronauts for Hire, Inc. is a non-profit corporation poised to blaze new trails in the commercial spaceflight industry. Its members are available for hire by researchers to conduct experiments on microgravity and suborbital flights. As the gateway to commercial human spaceflight, Astronauts4Hire serves as the matchmaker among the suborbital research community, training providers, and spaceflight operators. For more information, please visit www.Astronauts4Hire.org or contact Public Relations Officer Ben Corbin at ben.corbin@astronauts4hire.org or at (850) 685-2218.
About Saber Astronautics Australia:
Saber Astronautics Australia is a new space engineering company that researches logistics and operations solutions for the space industry. They are also actively involved in bringing their passion for space to the public community. For more information, please visit www.saberastro.com or contact Dr. Jason Held at jheld@saberastro.com or at +61 433 178 740.
About 4-Pines Brewing Company:
The 4-Pines Brewing Company is a microbrewery located in Manly, a beachside suburb of Sydney, Australia. They have made a name for themselves for their first-class handcrafted beer, which has won national and international awards for its purity and impressive flavour profiles. For more information, please visit www.4pinesbeer.com.au or contact Jaron Mitchell at jaron@4pinesbeer.com.au or at +61 405 637 644. More information about Vostok Space Beer is available at www.vostokspacebeer.com.
About ZERO-G:
Zero Gravity Corporation (ZERO-G) is a privately-held company whose mission is to make the excitement and adventure of weightlessness accessible to the public. ZERO-G is based in Vienna, Va. and is the first and only FAA-approved provider of weightless flights to the general public, as well as the entertainment and film industries, corporate and incentive market, non-profit research and education sectors, and government.
The company was co-founded in 1993 by X PRIZE Chairman, Dr. Peter H. Diamandis; veteran astronaut, Dr. Byron K. Lichtenberg, and NASA engineer Ray Cronise. The team spent more than a decade working to bring the marvel of weightless flight to the public.
Since launching the ZERO-G Experience in September 2004, the company has conducted more than 250 weightless flights and flown over 6,000 members of the public, including celebrities and media personalities, corporate charters, science and math teachers, and individuals aged eight to 93.
ZERO-G operates under the highest safety standards as set by the FAA (Part-121) with its partner Amerijet International Inc. of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Aircraft operations take place under the same regulations set for large commercial passenger airliners.
For more information, please visit www.GoZeroG.com.
Ummm…you and I know what a “beermosa” is…so I guess you could mix it with Tang, also available in space. Viola’ – you got rocket fueled beermosas! That’s one small sip for beer, one giant leap for mankind.
That’s all I got now…roger, over and out!
I’m finding it too difficult to resist.
-Testing time = 30 seconds. Can anyone say, “shotgun?”
-Will space travellers get OUI’s? (orbiting under the influence?)
-…and who will pull them over? “Starship Troopers”, of course.
Still, I’d like to sample that beer at 1G. Sign me up!
In space, no one can hear you belch.
To boldly drink where no man has drunk before.
Too many puns here…but we’ll focus on the fact it “…took place aboard a parabolic trajectory microgravity flight…”, otherwise known as ‘the vomit comet’. As a beer lover, I have observed parabolic trajectories of people falling off barstools; vomit not withstanding!
Just saying, I think this warrants some ground research by the earthbound, like us! 😉 we may not be informed about zero-gravity, but we know a thing or two about beer.
PS – I assume this will be well containerized and served using a straw. There’s bound to be some drunk astronauts from those results!
You make very valid points, Rick. And how much data you can obtain in 30 seconds of beer tasting at a time. Regardless, I have signed you and me up for the next test flight on the vomit comet. Hope you can handle it, buddy!