Posts Tagged ‘space’

AstroBeer!

Once again, Japan is on the cutting edge of beer technology. I remember being astonished back during my time studying abroad in Tokyo when my host brother (a marketing executive for Asahi Breweries) explained that Asahi was synthesizing beer from soybeans. Crazy. It wound up tasting…well, bad, in all honesty. But I’m all for pushing the limits of our current brewery capabilities. Sapporo Breweries Ltd. has stepped up to the plate this time around.

TOKYO (AFP) – A Japanese brewery Tuesday said it was planning the first “space beer,” using offspring of barley once stored at the International Space Station.

Researchers said the project was part of efforts to prepare for a future in which humans spend extended periods of time in space — and might like a cold beer after a space walk.

AFP via Yahoo! News

Ah, yes. Drunken astronauts – something which, I think we can all agree, would be worth realizing one day in spite of the plausible tax hikes to pay for the disasters it might cause. Excellent. This dystopia wonderful future is still a long way off, though, considering that the barley to be used is the third generation descended from some that spent a mere five months in orbit at the International Space Station.

Sapporo and Okayama University have grown seeds from barley used for the outer space tests and now expect to harvest 40 to 50 kilograms of barley descending from plants grown in outer space.

In a bid to stir interest in outer space, Sapporo said it plans to produce some 630 liters of beer and some 100 liters of tea, and provide opportunity for some consumers to drink the “space beer” and “space barley tea.”

“If production of barley and other agricultural products in outer space is demonstrated, it may mean that humans could stay in outer space longer while being self-sufficient in foods,” Manabu Sugimoto, an associate professor at Okayama University, said at a news conference.

AP via Breitbart

I can hardly wait until astrobeer is old hat and we’re dealing with space moonshine. Maybe it’ll be ready by the time Astroboy comes of drinking age.

Hat tip: Taro at 3 Yen
(subscription required for Nikkei / WSJ source article)

Also fun: Space yeast in New Mexico beer last year… (Wired Blog)

Video: Boomerang In Space

Video of the test is now public:

During his free time on the International Space Station, Japanese astronaut Takao Doi, 53, “threw a boomerang and saw it come back,” an official at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said. The newspaper Mainichi Shimbun reported the astronaut, who threw the boomerang at the request of Yasuhiro Togai, a world boomerang champion, said he was “very surprised and moved to see it flew the same way as it does on Earth.”

Korea’s Space Program: Experiments In Petty Nationalism?

The South Korean recently participated in Russia’s space tourism for cash program by sending Yi So-yeon, the winner of an astronaut contest into space. What was the purpose of her mission? Occidentalism translates a Korean press report that shows that she has spent a significant amount of her time in space researching a bacteria linked to nationalistic disputes with Japan:

Reporter: Lee So-yeon is spending most of her time at the International Space Station conducting a variety of experiments. Among them is the cultivation of “Donghae-Dokdo,” [East Sea-Liancourt Rocks] which is a bacteria native to Korea.

The experiment has symbolic meaning since Korea’s first astronaut is conducting the first experiment in space of a bacteria first discovered on Dokdo. However, Japan has claimed that the experiment was clearly politically motivated and demanded that it be ceased, which is why the experiment was conducted in secret.

Because of this problem, the government is not releasing information, as originally planned, on a kimchi lactic acid bacteria experiment, which is another key mission.

Ms. Lee is scheduled to continue the “Donghae-Dokdo” experiment until she returns to earth in nine days.

After the translation, Occidentalism blogger Gerry Bevers points out that another South Korean press report states there is actually no truth to the reports of Japanese demands for the research to be ceased.

Space Curry

Japanese consumers can finally enjoy the same curry that their astronauts do! Starting tomorrow, House Foods will begin sales of JAXA-endorsed Space Curry:

Japanese space food was developed for astronauts aboard the International Space Station. A total of 29 products such as ramen and rice balls were officially recognized in June. House Foods managed to have three curry products certified, and one of these, a beef curry, is going on sale.

The curry contains more nutrients than regular curry, with a higher calcium content, and since people’s sense of taste diminishes in space it’s made with a rich, spicy flavor.

The curry will be available for purchase via House Food’s online store and science museums across Japan.