August 25, 2015 4:24 AM EDT
A Japanese resupply spacecraft successfully docked to the International Space Station (ISS) on Monday, and on board there was some unusual cargo.
Included in the 10,000 lb. of supplies were five whiskey samples sent into orbit by Japanese alcoholic-drinks conglomerate Suntory, reports the Associated Press.
But astronauts on board the ISS won’t be able to drink a drop of the liquor, which was sent as part of an experiment to see whether spirits mellow at the same pace in microgravity as they do on earth.
The research is being conducted in the Japanese Experiment Module on the ISS and researchers at Suntory hope the experiments will help find a scientific explanation for the “mechanism that makes alcohol mellow.”
An identical set of samples is being stored in Japan and after a year or so the samples in orbit will return to earth to be compared, analyzed and tasted.
The whiskey experiment isn’t the first drinks-related study to take place on the ISS. Already on board are specially designed coffee cups that have revolutionized how astronauts drink in space and could help scientists build better and safer advanced fluid systems.
And on earth a company called Cosmic Lifestyle Corp. has even invented a zero-gravity-friendly martini glass .
See Scenes From Astronaut Scott Kelly’s Second Month in Space Astronaut Scott Kelly has posted a photo almost every day since arriving at the ISS. Here, see a selection from his second month of his year in space. (Via Twitter on May 13, 2015) NASA "Get ready to test your #geography skills! I’ll post a new #SpaceGeo pic today. How to play: http://1.usa.gov/1bw0Xuh" - via Twitter on April 29, 2015 Scott Kelly—NASA "Enjoying morning coffee with my friend @tomkochnews and @abc13houston aboard @Space_Station. #YearInSpace" - via Twitter on May 1, 2015 NASA "#SaturdayMorning #coffee with my old friend #PlanetEarth. #YearInSpace" - via Twitter on May 2, 2015 Scott Kelly—NASA "If I was looking through a microscope instead of a very big camera lens I would think I was looking at a virus" - via Twitter on May 3, 2015 Scott Kelly—NASA "Had my first cup of fancy coffee yesterday from the much anticipated @Space_Station #espresso machine. Not too bad." - via Twitter on May 4, 2015 NASA "Space taco w rehydrated eggs, sausage & hot sauce on a tortilla. Happy #CincoDeMayo from @Space_Station #YearInSpace" - via Twitter on May 5, 2015 Scott Kelly—NASA "#SpaceGeo! A serpent is known for deceptive traits, but don’t let this snake pull the wool over your eyes. Name it!" - via Twitter on May 6, 2015 Scott Kelly—NASA "Looking at the sands of #Earth it's hard to imagine there are more stars than every grain on our planet.#YearInSpace" - via Twitter on May 7, 2015 Scott Kelly—NASA "Subtropical Storm #Ana churns off the East coast of USA. #Wx from @Space_Station. #YearInSpace" - via Twitter on May 8, 2015 Scott Kelly—NASA "I don't know where in the US Southwest this is, but it sure is beautiful. #YearInSpace" - via Twitter on May 9, 2015 Scott Kelly—NASA "#watercolor from space. #YearInSpace." - via Twitter on May 10, 2015 Scott Kelly—NASA "#MtEtna Highest European active #volcano lives up to its Italian name Mongibello (beautiful mountain) from space too" - via Twitter on May 11, 2015 Scott Kelly—NASA "Caught our star peeking through #Dragon's solar arrays today. Good night from @Space_Station! #YearInSpace" - via Twitter on May 13, 2015 Scott Kelly—NASA "Watching my bro @ShuttleCDRKelly on #CelebrityJeopardy onboard @Space_Station this morning. Great job representing!" - via Twitter on May 15, 2015 NASA "The view out my window. #CapeTown #SouthAfrica. #YearInSpace" - via Twitter on May 16, 2015 Scott Kelly—NASA "#Africa Interesting how a barren desert exposes Earth in a surprising way that is beautiful from space #YearInSpace" - via Twitter on May 18, 2015 Scott Kelly—NASA ".@POTUS Welcome to @Twitter, Mr. President. You told me to #IG my mission up here Glad to see you tweeting down there" - via Twitter on May 19, 2015 Scott Kelly—NASA "Guess what day it is? #SpaceGeo! New #geography trivia photo today. How to play: http://1.usa.gov/1bw0Xuh" - via Twitter on May 20, 2015 NASA "Released #Dragon early this a.m. @ISS_Research on Earth. Mission success! Congrats & good night from @Space_Station!" - via Twitter on May 21, 2015 Scott Kelly—NASA "#RedSea. I'd sure like to jump into you this morning. #YearInSpace" - via Twitter on May 22, 2015 Scott Kelly—NASA "My ninth #SaturdayNight onboard @Space_Station. #SaturdayFun! #YearInSpace" - via Twitter on May 23, 2015 Scott Kelly—NASA "Just flew over you #Honolulu #Hawaii. Happy #MemorialDay! #YearInSpace" - via Twitter on May 24, 2015 Scott Kelly—NASA "This #MemorialDay honoring those who gave their lives in service to our nation with a picture of #ArlingtonCemetary" - via Twitter on May 25, 2015 Scott Kelly—NASA "Hard to imagine this underwater. My thoughts are w those affected by the floods back home. Stay safe. #HoustonFlood" - via Twitter on May 26, 2015 Scott Kelly—NASA More Must-Reads from TIME Introducing the 2024 TIME100 Next Sabrina Carpenter Has Waited Her Whole Life for This What Lies Ahead for the Middle East Why It's So Hard to Quit Vaping Jeremy Strong on Taking a Risk With a New Film About Trump Our Guide to Voting in the 2024 Election The 10 Races That Will Determine Control of the Senate Column: How My Shame Became My Strength