'Brewing Beer On The Moon' Experiment Attracts Attention Of Indian Parliament Members

Google Lunar XPRIZE, the global race to the Moon, has caught the attention of common people, scientists and even political leaders. According to the rules of the $30M competition, privately funded teams from different nations must build their own spacecraft, land it on the lunar surface and maneuver it for at least 500 meters and then send back the images captured.

While these are the basic tasks that need to be accomplished to win the prize, scientists participating in it have some additional plans. Team Indus, the only Indian team competing for the Google Lunar XPRIZE, is planning to perform some highly interesting experiments on the lunar surface while it sends its spacecraft via the ISRO's Polar Satellite launch Vehicle (PSLV).

One of these proposed experiments is the one that involves brewing beer on the Moon. It is one of the most unconventional experiments ever conducted on the lunar surface, which is why it is the talk of the scientific community as well as political leaders. Sisir Kumar Adhikari, Trinamool Congress' representative in the Indian parliament, raised questions on the "research plan and viability" of the scientific procedure and whether it follows general rules that govern the study and exploration of the Moon, The Indian Express reported.

Adhikari's queries were answered by Jitendra Singh, the minister of state, Prime Minister's Office, India. Singh informed the parliament that ISRO itself is not planning to conduct any such experiments and that the experiment is proposed by Team Indus. He informed that the experiment is designed to study the survival duration of yeast on the Moon. Furthermore, he also clarified that research activities on the lunar surface or any other space object in outer space are dictated by the guidelines proposed by the UN treaties, according to Times of India.

"These treaties and policies govern the scientific exploratory activities in outer space, Moon and other celestial bodies using human made spacecraft, landers, rovers etc." Singh said.

Apart from brewing beer on the Moon experiment, Team Indus has also plans to conduct 25 other experiments that involve the study of photosynthesis and recycling of water. The experiments are expected to reveal hitherto unknown facts that may help scientists in developing methods and technologies to solve the growing environmental problems on Earth.