POURING THE perfect pint of Guinness is difficult enough, but to pour it space? Well, that would be basically impossible.
Former astronaut Chris Hadfield has left the island of Ireland stunned with the revelation that pints of the black stuff can’t be poured in zero gravity.
The 60-year-old made the omission during a special phone-in interview with RTE Radio One’s Ryan Tubridy.
With guests invited to call in with questions for the Canadian, it wasn’t long before someone called in with a query related Ireland’s greatest export.
"If I poured a pint of Guinness in space, how long would it take to settle? Or would it settle at all and who drink it?” the caller asked.
"Kind regards, a concerned Guinness drinker of the future."
Suitably tickled by the question at hand, Hadfield nevertheless had the good graces to give the caller a proper answer, complete with scientific explanation.
And while most would have been only too aware that the lack of gravity would make the practice of pouring a non-starter, few will be aware of what would happen if you tried to pour a Guinness – something rather strange.
"You can't pour without gravity, you couldn't even decant and also the trouble is bicarbonate beverage - even one like Guinness, the bubbles behave differently without gravity - they won't settle.,” Hadfield explained.
"In fact they'll coalesce in the middle and the Guinness will collect around the outsides of the glass and the bubble will form in the centre of the fluid.
"And then you'd be forced to drink Guinness from a straw through the outer parts of the glass or the container so unfortunately it wouldn't work.
"And so far there's been no one to do it so no one has been in a position to drink it.”
Despite the downbeat forecast for any Guinness related voyages, bolding going where no can has gone before, Hadfield said that “maybe eventually” someone would work out a way too.
Guinness certainly seem keen on the idea – they have already begun work on a study to try and determine how a proper Guinness could be enjoyed in space, no straws allowed.
