Engineering students at the University of California - San Diego want to brew beer on the moon. If this project pushes through, they will be the first to check the viability of yeast in space. Mashable reported that the team joined a competition to fly to the moon with TeamIndus. TeamIndus is one of the teams who will be competing in Google's Lunar X Prize competition before the end of the year.
The engineering students will study how beer can be fermented in space. It could pave the way for a deeper understanding on how bread and other foods with yeast can be created in space.
In University of California's official website, it was revealed that the students call themselves "Team Original Gravity." They will be competing against 25 teams for a spot on the TeamIndus spacecraft, which is scheduled for a launch on Dec. 28, 2017.
Neeki Ashari, the team's PR & Operations Lead, said that the concept of brewing beer in space began as an idea among friends. They then realized that the competition would allow them to combine their hobby by turning their focus on the sustainability of yeast in space.
The prep work for the experiment, which involves everything required before the yeast is added, will be prepared on Earth. The team also plans to combine the "fermentation" and "carbonation" process. This would remove the need to release accumulated carbon dioxide to prevent sanitation and safety issues.
Pressure will be used to test fermentation and yeast viability instead of using density measurements. Density measurements are common on Earth but it cannot be used on the moon since it utilizes gravity.
Digital Trends noted that TeamIndus will choose the winning experiment in March. The team will use a container that's the same size as a typical soda can.
It will be composed of three separate sections. The top compartment will contain the unfermented beer. The middle part is where the yeast will be inserted. As the spacecraft lands on the moon, a valve will open and combine the two compartments. The mixture is expected to settle into the third compartment.
