With Elon Musk promising that he can send people to Mars by 2024, manufacturers on Earth are thinking of ways they can grow and sell their products in space. One of these companies is Budweiser.
The American beer giant has announced that it is sending some of its beer-making ingredients to the International Space Station (ISS) next month in a bid to become the first manufacturer to brew a cold one in space. Budweiser has teamed up with the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), which oversees the ISS’s U.S. national laboratory, and development company Space Tango, to reach its goal of providing the alcoholic drink to space travelers.
“Budweiser is always pushing the boundaries of innovation and we are inspired by the collective American Dream to get to Mars,” said Ricardo Marques, vice president, Budweiser, in a press release. “We are excited to begin our research to brew beer for the red planet.”
The alcohol giant will launch supplies for two barley experiments with SpaceX’s scheduled mission to the ISS on Dec. 4. Astronauts will monitor the experiments for about one month before they are sent back to Earth for analysis.
Budweiser wants to find out how barley seeds respond to a microgravity environment. One of the experiments will examine barley seed exposure, while the other will monitor barley germination.
The action is smart marketing move for Budweiser; however, it may also benefit other types of research.
“Not only will the research offer insights on steps to creating beer on the Red Planet, but it could also provide valuable information on the production of barley and the larger agricultural community here on earth,” the company noted.
Ultimately, Budweiser wants to be “the first beer on Mars.”
