Why you cannot take coca-cola to space.

Why you cannot take coca-cola to space. 




We have tested Coca-Cola (and Pepsi) in space.  In 1985, we flew special dispensers from the manufacturers as an experiment aboard the Space Shuttle.

Soda in space is a bit problematic.  In micro-gravity, the light gas bubbles won't rush to the top of the liquid and escape.  They will stay within the liquid.  This means the astronaut will consume significantly more gas drinking a soda in space than one would drinking a soda on the ground.  Drinking a carbonated beverage could be like drinking a foamy slurp.

That means there will be more of a need to burp, to release that gas.  That would be okay, except burping in space is unpleasant, for the same reason mentioned above for the soda.  On the ground, gases and liquids naturally separate in the digestive system because the lighter gases rise above the heavier liquids.  But, in micro-gravity, that doesn't happen.  When one burps in space, it is often a "wet burp" which means some liquid is expelled.  It's kind of like acid reflux.

Courtesy of Robert Frost

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