There are rumours that astronauts were once drunk during their flight, despite the fact that drinking is prohibited by NASA. However, many astronauts have already had a few beers during their space flight. One American student saw a future in a space pub: she experimented with a miniature brewing kit on board a space shuttle and managed to produce a few draughts of beer. It did not taste of anything in particular, because of the absence of chemicals in and around her brew.

Besides the challenge of brewing beer in space there are also problems with actual drinking: without gravity the gas bubbles do not rise, so the foam does not rise to the top. Two Dutch researchers studied the problem; they found the solution in 2000: put the beer in a flexible envelope and place it in a keg. Air can be pumped in between the keg and the envelope so the beer can be pushed out of the tap. The astronauts can then suck the beer up through straws.

Beer, however, is not very suitable as a space drink because of the gas. Without gravity liquid does not reach the bottom of the stomach but the gas stays on top, which causes ‘space burps’. “That’s one of the reasons why we don’t take any carbonated beverages up into space”, says the NASA spokesperson. No research has yet been carried out on the effect of alcohol in a medium without gravity. However, it is possible that there are differences in space as regards alcohol absorption and metabolism, so other effects of alcohol may be possible.

Experiments have already been conducted with medicines whereby unusual effects were noted, ranging from potentiated to weakened reactions. The same may be expected to be the case for drinking in outer space.

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