A Japanese brewery¹ Tuesday said it was planning the first "space beer," using offspring of barley² once stored at the International Space Station.

Researchers said the project was part of efforts to prepare for a future in which humans spend extended periods of time in space -- and might like a cold beer after a space walk.

Japanese brewery Sapporo Holdings said it would make beer using the third generation of barley grains that had spent five months on the International Space Station in 2006.

"We want to finish the beer by November. It will be the first space beer," Sapporo executive Junichi Ichikawa told reporters.

The company will have enough space grain to produce about 100 bottles of beer but has no immediate³ plan to make it a commercial venture, Sapporo officials said.

The company teamed up on the project with Okayama University biologist Manabu Sugimoto, who has been part of a Russian space project to explore ways to grow edible⁴ plants in space.

Barley can grow in relatively⁵ tough environments, such as high and low temperatures, and is rich in fibre and nutrients⁶, making it ideal for space agriculture, the professor said.

"In the future, we may reach a point where humans will spend an extended period of time in space and must grow food to sustain ourselves," Sugimoto said.

As of now, scientists have not detected any differences between Earth-grown and space barley, said Sugimoto, who will present DNA⁷ analysis of his findings at a conference in Canada in July.

"In the long run, we hope our space research will be not just about producing food, but about enjoying food and relaxing," Sugimoto said.

It was the latest space experiment with food.

South Korea's first astronaut, Yi So-Yeon, brought kimchi into space last month, while Japan has previously⁸ sent noodles into orbit.

日本一家啤酒制造商于本周二宣布，他们正计划生产（人类历史上的）首款“太空啤酒”，这种啤酒将以曾在国际空间站保存过的太空大麦“后代”为原料。

研究人员称，这一项目是为将来人类可能要长时间呆在太空所做的很多准备之一，也许以后宇航员在太空行走后能来杯冰啤酒。

日本札幌啤酒酿造控股公司说，他们将采用曾于2006年在国际空间站呆了五个月的太空大麦的第三代为原料酿造“太空啤酒”。

札幌控股的主管渡边川昆在接受记者采访时说：“我们希望在11月份酿出成品。这将成为人类历史上的首款‘太空啤酒’。”

札幌啤酒公司现有的太空大麦能酿造出约100瓶“太空啤”，但该公司暂时还没有将这款啤酒投入商业运作的计划。

目前，札幌控股正与日本冈山大学的生物学家杉本学合作开发这一项目。杉本学一直在参与俄罗斯太空食用作物项目的开发与研究。

杉本学教授说，大麦可在高温或低温等相对恶劣的环境中生长，而且大麦富含纤维和营养，是一种理想的太空作物。

杉本学说：“将来人类在太空上的时间可能会越来越长，所以我们必须要种粮食实现自给。”

他说，目前科学家还没有发现地球上种植的大麦与太空大麦有什么不同。杉本学教授将于七月份在加拿大召开的一个研讨会上提交他的研究结果DNA分析报告。

杉本学说：“从长远来说，我们希望我们的太空研究不仅仅是如何生产出食物，还要关注如何享用太空食物和休闲放松。”

“太空啤酒”是目前最新的一个太空食品试验项目。

韩国首位宇航员李素妍于上月将韩国泡菜带入太空，日本也曾带面条进入太空。