The World Is Still Waiting for the Great Space Cola
Being in orbit is great. Not so much if you want a carbonated beverage
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Fantastical conflicts in outer space were a staple of popular culture in the 1980s. Yet one battle that reached into the heavens was not science fiction: the Cola Wars.
Eager to become the first soda pop sipped in space, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo petitioned NASA in 1985 to test experimental cans in the weightlessness of low Earth orbit. NASA agreed to allow cans from both companies to ride along on the launch of the space shuttle Challenger on July 29. The specialized Coke can was equipped with a sophisticated nozzle complete with a five-point instruction guide to discharge the bubbly drink in microgravity. Pepsi’s entry—a hurried design in the weeks leading up to launch—resembled a shaving cream can.
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When tested by Challenger’s astronauts, they reported that both cans delivered products with their signature sweet tastes. But the orbiter lacked refrigeration, which meant the beverages were lukewarm, and the dispensing mechanisms made both colas unpleasantly frothy. In the end, the Coke-Pepsi can tests were more PR stunt than serious experimentation. “Neither ended up working very well, but it would be interesting to see if engineers could come up with something more satisfying all these decades later,” says Jennifer Levasseur, a curator in the department of space history at the National Air and Space Museum.
Midwesterners call cans of cola “pop,” in the Deep South it’s “coke” regardless of the brand, and in most other states it’s simply “soda.” Aboard the Challenger, the lingo for a can of fizzy was “Carbonated Beverage Dispenser.” Doesn’t have quite the same ring to it, does it?
Andrew J. Ross is a Guggenheim Predoctoral Fellow in the National Air and Space Museum's department of space history.
This article, originally titled "Carbonation in Orbit," is from the Fall 2025 issue of Air & Space Quarterly, the National Air and Space Museum's signature magazine that explores topics in aviation and space, from the earliest moments of flight to today. Explore the full issue.
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