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Michael David Winery's Grape Microbiota Experiment Set To Return To Earth Aboard SpaceX-22 Mission

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#wine #winery #spacex #fermenting
Published
07/18/2021 by

Michael David Winery is excited to announce their fermentation experiment, Grape Microbiota, is expected to return to Earth on July 17th. Partnering with Common Sense Solutions (CSS) and sent to the International Space Station on the Northrop Grumman CRS-15 mission payload in February, this experiment investigated the microbial ecology and dynamics of grape juice fermentation in the absence of gravity. Michael David Winery is the first winery in history to conduct wine fermentation on the International Space Station.

The experiment contained four 70 ml grape juice samples naturally fermenting in the ambient International Space Station environment. Throughout the project, the ISS crew removed samples with syringes and put into a freezer. Identical samples remained on Earth in an environmental control chamber that mimicked the ISS ambient temperature, following the same schedule as the ISS experiment.

"Not only does this experiment show us what the fermentation process looks like in microgravity, but offers insight as to which microbes will be different in the fresh food decomposition cycles. With fresh food management a growing concern for humans who plan to live in space for a substantial amount of time, this experiment can provide a piece of the puzzle in making space living possible," explained Jeff Farthing, Grape Microbiota Project Manager and Winemaker at Michael David Winery. "We are looking forward to studying the microbial structure of the ISS samples and are eager to continue experimenting with wine in space."

The space-flown juice is set to return aboard the SpaceX-22 mission, splashing down off the coast of Florida on Saturday, July 17th. Upon arrival, the space samples will be sent to the ETS Laboratories to be analyzed and compared to the control experiment. The goal is to isolate the individual microbes that successfully propagated in space. These can then be catalogued in a microbial library with rights to it owned exclusively by Michael David Winery. Who knows, Michael David may even use it to create a space wine someday…

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