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Author
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Topic: Cosmonaut: "Yes, we resorted to alcohol..."
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Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 10-14-2010 10:40 PM
   
MSNBC's Alan Boyle reports on his Cosmic Log blog about Soyuz TM-25 cosmonaut Alexander Lazutkin's recollection of imbibing on orbit. On Monday, Lazutkin discussed the history of drinking in space with journalists at Moscow's Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics, where he's the deputy director. "During prolonged space missions, especially at the beginning of the Space Age, we had alcoholic drinks in the cosmonauts' rations," the Interfax news agency quoted him as saying Monday. "This was cognac, which the doctors recommended for use. We used it to stimulate our immune system and on the whole to keep our organisms in tone."Later, a type of ginseng liqueur (literally, "liqueur from the eleutherococcus") was occasionally consumed, he said... "Yes, we resorted to alcohol during our flight. But this was by authorization of the Ministry of Public Health," he said. RIA Novosti quoted Lazutkin as saying that alcohol was "recommended for neutralizing the harmful effect of the atmosphere" -- though it's not clear whether he was referring to the air or the working conditions. |
SpaceAholic
Member Posts: 4437
From: Sierra Vista, Arizona
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 10-14-2010 10:50 PM
Only a matter of time before we see the first distillery in space (unless Soviet/Russian on-orbit exploits haven't already produced the first "moonshine"). |
Delta7
Member Posts: 1505
From: Bluffton IN USA
Registered: Oct 2007
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posted 10-15-2010 06:49 AM
I'll drink to that. Nostrovia! |
Byeman
New Member Posts:
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Registered:
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posted 10-15-2010 06:57 AM
While working Mir Shuttle missions, I had the opportunity to handle and stow in the Spacehab module two types of sealed packages that were sent up to the cosmonauts. One was the Cosmonaut Family Package and the other was the Cosmonaut Psychological Support Package. One had candy in it and the other had liquids and magazines in it. I don't think I have to describe anything further. |
Tykeanaut
Member Posts: 2212
From: Worcestershire, England, UK.
Registered: Apr 2008
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posted 10-15-2010 07:19 AM
I believe Apollo 8 had some brandy stored aboard to accompany their Christmas dinner. Frank Borman apparently said "No" and they returned to Earth with the astronauts. If I remember correctly? Lovell auctioned his a few years ago. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 10-15-2010 08:13 AM
You remember correctly. Heritage Galleries Oct. 2008 auction catalog cites "How Apollo Flew to the Moon" by David Woods: Additionally, the Apollo 8 crew found that three small bottles of brandy had been packed among their Christmas food rations. Borman, however, pulled rank and said they could not partake of the brandy until they got home. NASA considered stocking Skylab with wine, specifically Paul Masson Rare Cream Sherry (see page 170 in The Astronaut's Cookbook). Ultimately, the decision was made on Aug. 10, 1972 (SP-4011) to not to fly the wine. MSC Skylab Program Manager Kenneth S. Kleinknecht said there was no basic requirement for including wine in the Skylab menu. In vetoing its use he said that the beverage was not necessary for nourishment or to provide a balanced [277] diet; it was not a fully developed menu item and would involve an unnecessary expense; it would aggravate a minor galley stowage problem; its use would invalidate the experimental results of Experiment M071, mineral balance; and it would result in adverse criticism for the Skylab Program. |
robsouth
Member Posts: 769
From: West Midlands, UK
Registered: Jun 2005
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posted 10-15-2010 03:05 PM
I think I read somewhere that Borman stopped Lovell and Anders from drinking the brandy because he didn't want it getting the blame if anything went wrong. I can just imagine the head line, "Astronauts fined for being drunk whilst driving - around the moon!" |
SkyMan1958
Member Posts: 867
From: CA.
Registered: Jan 2011
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posted 07-16-2011 05:33 PM
The first flown alcohol that I'm sure of was a mini (e.g. airplane sized) Cutty Sark whiskey that Cooper and Rathmann smuggled aboard Sigma 7. Schirra drank it as soon as he could aboard the recovery ship. He was amused by the concept of how the doctors would react to alcohol in his blood, so he clearly took it before the post flight blood draw. |
Philip
Member Posts: 5952
From: Brussels, Belgium
Registered: Jan 2001
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posted 08-04-2011 10:58 AM
There's also the story of French CNES-naut Patrick Baudry who presumably carried a bottle of French wine onboard Space Shuttle Discovery during STS-51G in 1985... And brought it back unopened, just to have a bottle flown in space  |
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