Craft brew takes itself very seriously. It has gone to many lengths. It has yet, however, to go to the moon. If a group of engineering students from UC San Diego wins a competition to get room aboard a moon-bound spacecraft, however, they will be the first to brew their craft beer in space. And another first: The "brewery" they want to send to the moon is only the size of a soda can.
According to a statement from the university, the prep work would occur on the Earth's surface. Then, in space, the fermentation and carbonation phases would combine, eliminating the risk of over-pressurization and explosion, as well as the need to release carbon dioxide, which could be a safety issue. Finally, instead of testing the fermentation and yeast viability by density, which uses gravity, testing would be measured by pressure.
Besides being an extraordinarily complicated way to get fancy beer, the students' project would provide insight into yeast production in space, which could eventually help space-bound humans survive. (Yeast makes bread, and bread sustains life.) But first, the team has to win space aboard an Indian startup's craft, and then that Indian startup has to win the $30 million Google Lunar X Prize. So this might a moonshot. Ha.
