Over the past year, 12 bottles have been circulating the ground on the station; although 12 bottles on Earth were kept for comparison. The cargo also contained 320 cans of wine. The wines and wines returned to Earth Wednesday on SpaceX’s Cargo Dragon spacecraft.
The aim of the exercise is to study the future of agriculture, as scientists look for varieties that are hardier, pest-resistant, or able to cope with climate change. The vines will also taste to see how they have changed compared to those on Earth.
Microgravity: revealing responses to climate change?
Space Cargo Unlimited is a European startup group founded by space-minded entrepreneurs and private investors. Its French subsidiary Space Biology Unlimited is looking at how work in microgravity research (i.e., minimal degradation) can address the future challenges in agriculture and food.
When threatened by changes in their environment, plants undergo major biological changes. The Bordeaux-based Institut des Sciences de la Vigne et du Vin (ISVV) in France studies the differences between returning cans (de Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon) with similar samples who stayed on the ground to recognize these mutations and to stabilize the altered rays.
The choice to study grapes and wine as a surrogate for agricultural evolution in general is driven by the extensive knowledge developed around wine from ancestral times, and its role in a previous scientific breakup (such as Louis Pasteur discovering the presence of bacteria).
In addition, the wine industry is particularly sensitive to global warming. Grains are very sensitive to changes in temperature and season.
“We believe that microgravity has much to offer the future of vineyards and agriculture on Earth.”Arsa Space Cargo Unlimited.