Why are astronauts banned from drinking in outer space?

Traveling to places thousands of miles from Earth, immersing yourself in the dark space of the universe, will there ever be astronauts rewarding themselves with a cocktail? The answer is "no", because the space station is where all kinds of alcoholic liquids are banned. The article will help you discover why this rule appears.

The truth is that alcoholic drinks have a close relationship with space travel. To understand this, let's consider what happens if astronauts drink alcohol.

Buzz Aldrin was the second astronaut to set foot on the moon, after Neil Armstrong but was the first to drink alcohol in the universe.

Some people believe that drinking alcohol at a height like astronauts will make them dizzy and endanger the body. But this belief may not be accurate.

This belief comes from a study by the US Federal Aviation Agency in 1985 about the harmful effects of alcoholic beverages on flight performance.

17 pilots tested it by testing vodka both on the ground and in the room at a height of 3.7km. Then they will do maths, monitor measuring devices, and some other tests. The researchers tracked the impact of alcoholic beverages on the breath and performance of pilots.

Is drinking alcohol really affecting the pilot's job? Professor Dave Hanson of New York University, who studies alcoholic beverages for over 40 years, thinks this is not true. He said: "I can't imagine anything influencing?"

He thought that altitude sickness could lead to misunderstandings about the effects of alcohol and poisoning. When people are in a zero gravity environment, they may feel like their bodies are poisoned.

If a person feels drunk while on a plane faster than in a normal environment, it is likely that he or she is experiencing imaginary drinking. This is a phenomenon that has been studied for many years. Research shows that people will feel more drunk if they keep thinking that they are intoxicated. At the same time, when drinking on the plane, what people think will become true and that is the factor affecting drinkers.

Therefore, the hypothesis that drinking alcohol will affect people on airplanes is not the right hypothesis.

Alcoholic beverages are banned at the International Space Station ISS, said Daniel G. Hout, spokesman for NASA aerospace agency."The use of alcoholic beverages is controlled in ISS due to its negative impact on astronauts," he said.

For this reason, astronauts at the space station are not allowed to use any alcoholic beverages, including mouthwash, perfume and post-shaving skin lotion. Beer bottles that are rotated in a zero gravity environment may also damage the device on the space station.

The experiment proved that alcohol affecting humans while flying is not really accurate.

Alcohol is prohibited while driving and with astronauts - $ 150 billion worth of spacecraft drivers (about VND 3,390,000 billion).

In 2007, Nasa banned the flight of two astronauts because of excessive use of alcohol. An inspection by Nasa's safety agency could not prove any charges. Astronauts are prohibited from drinking alcoholic beverages for 12 hours before flying so they can keep their minds clear and alert for flight preparation.

However, the FAA study in 1985 showed that alcohol has a small effect on astronauts at the height they work. Research shows that at any height the breath meter is the same, the performance of astronauts is not affected by alcohol. For people with poor performance when flying at certain altitudes, alcohol is not the cause, but the altitude makes astronauts not as good as the ground. The study has confirmed that astronauts drink alcohol very little to the flight safety of their travels.

Apart from alcohol, beer is also a drink to avoid in space , because beer bubbles can affect astronauts' digestion in a zero gravity environment.

Strict rules do not mean that space travelers cannot touch a single drop of alcoholic beverages. There are many ISS experiences related to alcohol, but none of the experiments can really prove the influence of alcohol on people in space.

Nasa secretary Stephanie Schierholz said: "We study all the ways people change in space to the molecular level." She also added: "Our program guarantees the best nutrition for astronauts, and they have also studied allowing astronauts to bring wine . " However, this has not been fully verified in a zero gravity environment.

Astronauts at Russia's Mir space airline are allowed to bring a bit of Cognac wine.

The most surprising thing is that the first drink on the moon is alcohol . Buzz Aldrin told reporters that he sipped some wine before discovering the moon with Neil Armstrong in 1969.

While the US space station banned alcohol completely, Russia's Mir space station allowed a small amount of alcohol to be brought into space. And surely they will ask ISS when they know that alcohol is completely banned.

However, alcoholic beverages still find their way to ISS. In 2015, Japanese brewers brought their drinks to the space station, which is part of an experiment to understand the effects of fermentation in a zero gravity environment. In other words in a zero gravity environment, alcoholic beverages have a special development, making it taste better. This will be a very interesting point for these drink producers on the ground.

In addition, several years ago from September 2011 to September 2014, Nasa sponsored a study of the effects of a zero gravity environment on oak and oak wood for fermentation. After 1000 days in space, the tannin in the wine has not changed, but the space environment has brought the wood with a richer flavor.

In 1975, two American astronauts Tom Stafford and Deke Slayton introduced photos of them holding vodka bottles on Apollo / Soyuz.

NASA has confirmed that the discoveries they found not only changed the liquor industry but also the food industry. They also added that further analysis to find out what makes alcohol different in space and on the ground is essential.

Therefore, although astronauts are prohibited from bringing alcohol to space, their working environment can make wine better when it brings it back to the ground.

Every mission on Mars can last for years, so taking a bit of wine during recess is a matter worth considering.

Aldrin's glass returned to Earth.

Hanson believes that the difference in culture, beliefs, and eating habits may lead to different notions of alcohol in countries.

However, while not being changed, American astronauts still have to entertain themselves by watching the endless space of the universe through the windows.