international space station

‘Reckless’ Russian test blamed for space junk threatening …

In this image from video provided by NASA, the International Space Station is seen as astronauts in the SpaceX Dragon capsule undock on Monday, Nov. 8, 2021, (NASA via AP)

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4 International Space Station astronauts catch ride with …

In this image from video provided by NASA, astronauts in the SpaceX Dragon capsule undock from the International Space Station on Monday, Nov. 8, 2021, (NASA via AP)

NASA sends dozens of baby squid from Hawaii into space …

Lab manager Randall Scarborough looks at a squid in Honolulu on June 11, 2021. Dozens of baby squid from Hawaii are in space for study. The baby Hawaiian bobtail squid were raised at the University of Hawaii's Kewalo Marine Laboratory and were blasted into space earlier this month on a SpaceX resupply mission to the International Space Station. (Craig T. Kojima, Honolulu Star-Advertiser via AP)

Astronauts tackle spacewalk to install solar panels on …

In this image taken from NASA video, NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough, left, and French astronaut Thomas Pesquet work on the solar array outside the International Space Station, Sunday, June 20 2021. (NASA via AP)

Wine that spent a year in space to be auctioned off, could …

The wine is out of this world. The price is appropriately stratospheric. Christie’s said Tuesday it is selling a bottle of French wine that spent more than a year in orbit aboard the International Space Station. The auction house thinks a wine connoisseur might pay as much as $1 million to own it. The Pétrus 2000 is one of 12 bottles sent into space in November 2019 by researchers exploring the potential for extraterrestrial agriculture. It returned 14 months later subtly altered, according to wine experts who sampled it at a tasting in France. Tim Tiptree, international director of Christie’s wine and spirits department, said the space-aged wine was “matured in a unique environment” of near zero-gravity aboard the space station. The trip turned a $10,000-a-bottle wine known for its complexity, silky, ripe tannins and flavors of black cherry, cigar box and leather into a scientific novelty — and still a fine bottle of wine, Tiptree said. “It’s just a very harmonious wine that has the ability to age superbly, which is why it was chosen for this experiment,” he said. “It’s very encouraging that it was delicious on return to Earth.” Private space startup Space Cargo Unlimited sent the wine into orbit in November 2019 as part of an effort to make plants on Earth more resilient to climate change and disease by exposing them to new stresses. Researchers also want to better understand the aging process, fermentation and bubbles in wine. At a taste test in March at the Institute for Wine and Vine Research in Bordeaux, France, a dozen wine connoisseurs compared one of the space-traveled wines to a bottle from the same vintage that had stayed in a cellar. They noted a difference that was hard to describe. Jane Anson, a writer with the wine publication Decanter, said the wine that remained on Earth tasted a bit younger, the space version slightly softer and more aromatic. The wine, being offered by Christie’s in a private sale, comes with a bottle of terrestrial Pétrus of the same vintage, a decanter, glasses and a corkscrew crafted from a meteorite. It’s all held in a hand-crafted wooden trunk with decoration inspired by science fiction pioneer Jules Verne and the “Star Trek” universe. Proceeds from the sale will fund future research by Space Cargo Unlimited. Several other bottles from the dozen that went to space remain unopened, but Christie’s says there are no plans to sell any of them. Tiptree says the price estimate, “in the region of $1 million,” reflects the sale’s likely appeal to a mix of wine connoisseurs, space buffs and the kind of wealthy people who collect “ultimate experiences.” The lot includes the bottle of 2000 Pétrus that remained on Earth so the buyer can compare the two — should they decide to open the one that went into orbit. “I would hope that they will decide to drink it, but maybe not immediately,” Tiptree said. “It’s at its peak drinking, but this wine will last probably another at least another two or three decades.”

Arrival of SpaceX capsule brings International Space Station’s …

This image provided by NASA, astronauts from SpaceX join the astronauts of the International Space Station for an interview on Saturday, April 24, 2021. (NASA via AP)

SpaceX successfully launches 4 astronauts on recycled …

In this long exposure photo, photographers watch a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the Crew Dragon space capsule lifts off from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Friday, April 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

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Spacewalkers take extra safety precautions for toxic …

In this image provided by NASA shows NASA astronauts Victor Glover and Mike Hopkins on a spacewalk outside the International Space Station on Saturday, March 13, 2021. (NASA via AP)

Saturday “Gayle on the NEW NORMAL Go! Saturday, January …

The First Nasa Spacewalk of 2021.

2 SpaceX capsules parked side-by-side at space station …

In this image taken from NASA TV the Dragon cargo capsule docks at the International Space Station, Monday, Dec. 7, 2020, alongside a Dragon crew capsule that carried up astronauts three weeks ago. (NASA via AP)

SpaceX rocket blasts off with supplies for International …

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on a resupply mission to the International Space Station lifts off from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Sunday, Dec. 6, 2020. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

SpaceX capsule with 4 astronauts reaches International …

In this frame grab from NASA TV, astronauts Mike Hopkins, left, and Victor Glover monitor controls aboard SpaceX Dragon as the capsule approaches the International Space Station on Nov. 16, 2020. (NASA TV via Associated Press)

International Space Station to mark 20 years of people …

In this photo provided by NASA, the Expedition 1 crew members pose with fresh oranges onboard the Zvezda Service Module of the Earth-orbiting International Space Station on Dec. 4, 2000. Pictured, from left, are cosmonaut Yuri P. Gidzenko, Soyuz commander; astronaut Bill Shepherd, mission commander; and cosmonaut Sergei K. Krikalev, flight engineer. (NASA via AP)