Jacques van Oene
April 22nd 05, 06:34 PM
A toast to the International Space Station: the VINO experiment
21 April 2005
Considering the food available to the astronauts on board the International
Space Station (ISS), this morning's in-flight call between ESA astronaut
Roberto Vittori and the Scuderie Aldobrandini of Frascati, near Rome, Italy,
was perhaps a little bit cruel.
The occasion for the call to the ISS was an interesting and original
congress 'Space for Wine', organised by ESA, in collaboration with the City
Hall of Frascati, the association La Strada dei Vini dei Castelli Romani and
the Consortium of Trusteeship of Frascati wine designation.
"ESA is involved in the BACCHUS project, co-funded by the European
Commission in the scope of the Common Agricultural Policy," explains ESA's
Luigi Fusco. "Our objective is to produce modern cadastral registers and
informatics products that will be useful in the efficient management of the
wine areas, supporting the quality and the products of controlled
denominations of origin, in particular of Frascati DOC."
VINO is an experiment that Vittori is conducting in orbit, as part of the
Eneide Mission. "The experiment is going well," confirmed Vittori, "as we
had foreseen. Naturally to perform the scientific analysis we have to wait
for the return to Earth."
The VINO experiment is the first step to study the growth and development of
tendril grafts in space. Samples of Sassicaia tendrils, a variety that
produces premium quality wines in a favourable environment in the Tenuta San
Guido, in Bolgheri (near Livorno, Tuscany), were taken to the International
Space Station.
"It's the first time that such a complex plant as a vine graft is studied in
space," comments Valfredo Zolesi, scientific responsible for the experiment
and President of Kayser S.p.A. "The tendrils have been prepared, cut and
grafted: the nutritive fluids inside them have to adapt to two different
types of wood. The circulation of the fluids will be one of the most
interesting aspects of the analysis".
In orbit, to avoid possible bacterial contamination, the samples are within
a pressure/vacuum proof sealed metallic container.
Once back on Earth, the Sassicaias tendrils will be analysed. There is a
particular interest in finding out which kinds of stress they have been
exposed to. The tendrils will be planted and their growth compared to plants
that were treated in a similar fashion in parallel on the ground.
--
--------------
Jacques :-)
www.spacepatches.info
21 April 2005
Considering the food available to the astronauts on board the International
Space Station (ISS), this morning's in-flight call between ESA astronaut
Roberto Vittori and the Scuderie Aldobrandini of Frascati, near Rome, Italy,
was perhaps a little bit cruel.
The occasion for the call to the ISS was an interesting and original
congress 'Space for Wine', organised by ESA, in collaboration with the City
Hall of Frascati, the association La Strada dei Vini dei Castelli Romani and
the Consortium of Trusteeship of Frascati wine designation.
"ESA is involved in the BACCHUS project, co-funded by the European
Commission in the scope of the Common Agricultural Policy," explains ESA's
Luigi Fusco. "Our objective is to produce modern cadastral registers and
informatics products that will be useful in the efficient management of the
wine areas, supporting the quality and the products of controlled
denominations of origin, in particular of Frascati DOC."
VINO is an experiment that Vittori is conducting in orbit, as part of the
Eneide Mission. "The experiment is going well," confirmed Vittori, "as we
had foreseen. Naturally to perform the scientific analysis we have to wait
for the return to Earth."
The VINO experiment is the first step to study the growth and development of
tendril grafts in space. Samples of Sassicaia tendrils, a variety that
produces premium quality wines in a favourable environment in the Tenuta San
Guido, in Bolgheri (near Livorno, Tuscany), were taken to the International
Space Station.
"It's the first time that such a complex plant as a vine graft is studied in
space," comments Valfredo Zolesi, scientific responsible for the experiment
and President of Kayser S.p.A. "The tendrils have been prepared, cut and
grafted: the nutritive fluids inside them have to adapt to two different
types of wood. The circulation of the fluids will be one of the most
interesting aspects of the analysis".
In orbit, to avoid possible bacterial contamination, the samples are within
a pressure/vacuum proof sealed metallic container.
Once back on Earth, the Sassicaias tendrils will be analysed. There is a
particular interest in finding out which kinds of stress they have been
exposed to. The tendrils will be planted and their growth compared to plants
that were treated in a similar fashion in parallel on the ground.
--
--------------
Jacques :-)
www.spacepatches.info