The Dragon SpaceX spacecraft landed off the coast of Florida Wednesday night carrying research materials, equipment and 12 bottles of French wine.
But not everything comes!
These bottles of wine and a few vine he had spent about a year on the International Space Station, orbiting the world in the name of science.
The wine will not be open until the end of February. Then Space Cargo Unlimited intends to open a bottle or two for a wine tasting outside the world in Bordeaux, France.
Agricultural science is the main focus of the research, says Nicolas Gaume, the company’s head and co-founder. But admit that it will be fun to try the wine. He will be among the lucky few who will taste it, along with some French wine experts.
Months of chemical testing will follow. Researchers want to see how space has changed the sedimentation of wine and BUBBLES. Sedimentation is the process by which material is transported to the bottom of a liquid.
Gaume told the Associated Press that his company’s goal is to try to understand “how we will have agriculture tomorrow that will be both organic and healthy and able to feed humanity. Gaume added: “We think the space has key. ”
With climate change, Gaume added that agricultural products such as grapes will have to be able to live in more difficult conditions. Through a series of space experiments, Space Cargo Unlimited hopes to take what it learns to make plants stronger on Earth.
There is another reason to do such space research. Gaume is waiting for future explorers on the Moon, and Mars will want to enjoy some of the beautiful things on Earth. “Being French, it’s part of life to have good food and good wine,” he said.
The wine bottles were kept in steel containers for safety when they went to the space station on a Northrop Grumman ship in November 2019. The 320 pieces of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon vines, called sticks in the grape business, remained on the SpaceX spacecraft last March.
At this time, the SpaceX Dragon is the only spacecraft capable of returning the space station’s experiments and other objects to Earth. Others burn in the atmosphere on their return.
I’m Bryan Lynn.
Marcia Dunn reported the story to the Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for learning English. Hai Do was the editor.
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Words in this story
wine – n. an alcoholic beverage made from grape juice
vine – n. a climbing plant on which grapes grow
ball – n. a small, round ball of air or gas inside a liquid
organic – adj. food: grown or manufactured without the use of key artificial chemistry