Drink With The Wench

May The Force Be With You: Aussies To Test First “Space” Beer

If Darth Vadar had access to beer in outer space, the plot for Star Wars might have been a bit different…

Whether it’s due to lack of oxygen from the cabin pressure, dehydration, or other unknown factors, anyone whose ever indulged in an adult beverage or two (or three or four) while flying in an airplane can probably attest that altitude impacts how alcohol effects the system.

One can only wonder what gravity does…

Saber Astronautics Australia, a new space engineering company that researches logistics and operations solutions for the space industry, and 4 Pines Brewing Company, an up and coming microbrewery located near Sydney, Australia, recently teamed up to brew a beer specifically designed to defy the laws of gravity and be consumed in outer space.

Although suitable for consumption on earth, the actual drinkability of this beer in microgravity environments has yet to be determined. For its inaugural mission as a contracted flight researcher, Astronauts4Hire, a non-profit corporation poised to blaze new trails in the commercial spaceflight industry, will be conducting tests on what could ultimately become the world’s first beer to be certified for drinking in space.

“Astronauts4Hire is living up to its name,” says its President Brian Shiro. “This opportunity is an important milestone for us and illustrates how researchers can hire our members to conduct experiments under conditions of microgravity.”

According to the official press release: “An Astronauts4Hire flight member will act as the primary flight operator. The researcher will perform various experiments such as sample the beer during weightless parabolas and record biometric data on body temperature, heart rate and blood alcohol content.”

The first test is scheduled for mid November 2010 and will take place on-board a series of parabolic flights operated by the ZERO-G Corporation. A portion of the funding for the series of test flights that will ultimately qualify the brew for consumption in space will come from the sales of the very same beer on Earth.

So for those of you lucky enough to travel into space one day, it looks as if beer might be on the menu…