Civilian Space eXploration Team (CSXT) to launch 16 strains of brewers yeast into earths orbit. CSXT was the first amateur rocket group to successfully launch a rocket into space in 2004 and now, 10 years later, they are going to do it again with everybody's favorite microorganism as a payload.
Almost a year in planning, Ninkasi Space Program will get off the ground this month. Ninkasi lab technician, Dana Garves got together with Portland 3D Printing company RapidMade to create a custom payload container to safely transport the 16 strains of yeast into the space.
“I couldn’t contain my excitement when I first heard of NSP,” said Garves. “We spent hours researching, developing and testing what we think will ensure that the yeast travels safely and returns to us healthy enough to brew with.”
After the rocket has successfully landed, CSXT will retrieve the payload and give the yeast samples to Garves, who will analyze the samples on-site with a microscope in conjunction with her smart phone to test the viability of the cells. If the yeast are still healthy the NSP team will return to Eugene with the healthy yeast with the plans of making a very special extra-terrestrial beer.
“Obviously, the fact that we’ve never launched yeast into space presents many challenges in itself even with months of planning,” explains Nikos Ridge, CEO and co-founder of Ninkasi. “While we have confidence in our partners and the process, this is uncharted territory on several fronts and I can’t wait to see how it all unfolds on launch day.”
Ninkasi has made a microsite to help followers keep up-to-date with all NSP related news for their July launch. To learn more, visit: http://nsp.ninkasibrewing.com.