Published: May 24, 2012, Daily News, Los Angeles

For two West Hills students, it’s a science experiment that’s literally out of this world. | See photo gallery.

Max Holden and Paige D’Andrea – a freshman and sophomore respectively, at Chaminade College Preparatory – are one of 12 student teams across the U.S. whose science experiments won a spot aboard the SpaceX flight that launched Tuesday for the International Space Station.

Their experiment: Seeing if wine ferments faster in the near weightlessness of space than it would back on Earth.

If successful, the test wouldn’t just mean good news for winos. It could mean that all fermentation-based foods – such as bread, yogurt and cheese – could be produced a lot quicker.

“Wine usually ferments for two years if you’re going to sell it on the market,” Holden, 15, said. “If this ferments twice as fast, it can only take one year to ferment it, and it can go on the market much faster.” Read More