Wine: Victim of Global Warming

SpaceX Latest Launch Includes Wine Experiments in Space

Source:  SpaceX Rocket Launch

Vino Vines in Space

SpaceX's latest launch contains experiments designed to save wine from the destruction of Climate Change.  Global warming is putting grapes and wine at risk as they are very susceptible to changes in temperature.  The Climate Change situation is so significant some vineyard owners are moving their operations to colder regions in higher altitudes.  The wine experiments that SpaceX carried to the International Space Station are designed to remedy the situation.

International Space Station

European startup Space Cargo Unlimited is the force behind the wine experiments.  Their project was ferried by SpaceX to the International Space Station.  Included are vines for Merlot and for Cabernet Sauvignon to see how they fare during six months aboard the ISS in space.  The grape vines will be subjected to zero gravity and increased radiation.  Space Cargo Unlimited scientists believe this will result in mutations in the vines that occur quicker than on Earth.  It will allow the scientists to track the evolution and determine how the vines make themselves hardier and more resistant to harsh conditions.

Agriculture of the Future

The goal of this effort is to make it possible to produce wine in harsher environments.  The vines will be stored in an environment on the ISS similar to wine storage facilities on Earth.  The temperatures will be as low as 33 degrees F and the humidity will range from 70%  to 80%.  Space Cargo Unlimited says they are pioneering a new way to study microgravity and accelerated evolution in plants.  They believe it could be a gamechanger and unlock the agriculture of the future.