Coca Cola Space Can

Coca-Cola and Pepsi soft drinks (1985): Though NASA labeled it the Carbonated Beverage Dispenser Evaluation (CBDE), consider it the taste test to end all taste tests. The "experiment" included specially designed soda "cans," produced by both Pepsi and Coca-Cola. Though the crew classified the experiment as a failure citing the zero-G environment and the lack of refrigeration Coca Cola would fly twice again using an improved dispenser and pressurized glasses -- ultimately spending more than $750,000 in the process. Pepsi, on the other hand, would later film a commercial aboard the Mir space station in 1996 for a reported $5 million.

As a side note, this can is considered to be one of the most desirable of coke cans in existence. Only a handful of these were produced back in 1985 for usage on the Challenger. Several specimens were sent to space and the few remaining were put on this custom display and given to VIP Coca-Cola bottlers - without the internal mechanisms. The can is top heavy with a little piece that is able to be twisted off. a latch on the side allows you to press down on the lever and dispense the liquid. It also has a piece of Velcro on the side of the can. If anybody has any questions about the can I will be happy to answer them to the best of my ability. I have also included a picture of a letter from Brian Dyson (then President of Coke USA) that tells details of can as well as a picture of THE COCA-COLA BOTTLER - a bottler newsletter from 1985 that contains the story about the first soft drink in orbit!