May 20^th is Eduard Buchner's birthday. Buchner was a German chemist who worked with the process of alcohol fermentation. Fermentation is the process that occurs when a carbohydrate like sugar is broken into alcohol. Many fermentation processes involve yeast to increase the rate of fermentation and was believed to be the catalyst for the reaction. Buchner showed there were enzymes in the yeast, which he named zymase, that actually worked as the catalyst and not the yeast itself. This distinction was a step away from the popular philosophy of vitalism, in which biochemical reactions need biological catalysts, and was important enough to earn him the 1907 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Find out what else occurred on this day in science history.

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One of the most common questions I have been asked about the SpaceX Dragon flight is, "Why is it important?" There are a couple of quick answers to that question. First, SpaceX is poised to make history as the first private company to meet up with the International Space Station. That is a very big deal! Getting to the ISS, successfully connecting with it and returning safely home is an extremely complex series of tasks.

The other important aspect of the Dragon launch is that its first mission will transport experiments to the space station. These experiments are part of the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP). These are scientific experiments that have been designed by students from across the United States. This is real scientific research. Students submitted proposals for their projects, designed experiments and competed for the opportunity to fly their experiments in low Earth orbit. The focus of the program is on the students, but they don't go it alone. Each project is a community endeavor, requiring cooperation between students, parents, teachers and businesses.

I got the opportunity to meet some of the students and members of their teams, representing SSEP at the May 19, 2012 SpaceX launch attempt:

Co-Investigators Jack Barth, JP Peerbolte, Cameron Zandstra
Lake County, IN SSEP Community
"The Effect of Microgravity on the Quality and Nutritional Value of the Seed Sprout of a Germinated 92M72 Genetically-Modified Soy Bean"

Pioneer very graciously sponsors this team. Not only did Pioneer provide seeds for the project, but they also gave team members these cool shirts and paid their expenses so that the students could attend the launch of their experiments.

Photo: Representatives of the Lake County, Indiana SSEP team pose with the NASA logo before the May 19th launch attempt of SpaceX Dragon / Falcon 9. (Anne Helmenstine)

Principal Investigator Emily Soice
Houston, TX SSEP Community
"Hepatocyte Development in Bioscaffolds Infused with TGFB3 in Microgravity"

"I am very excited and honored that I get to be a part of the first commercial payload."
~Emily Soice (Grade 8, Houston, TX)

Photo: Principal Investigator Emily Soice (Grade 8, Johnston Middle School, Houston) is fitted with a microphone so she can explain her SSEP research project on NASA TV. (Anne Helmenstine)

Ryan Puri, Co-Investigator
San Marino, CA SSEP Community
"Effect of Microgravity on the Antibacterial Resistance of P. aeruginosa"

Ryan and the other student representatives explained their experiments to the press. The students gave interviews and were videotaped for NASA TV. Ryan displayed the poise of a veteran researcher, clearly explaining the significance of his project and describing the excitement of having an experiment go into space.

Photo: SSEP Co-Investigator Ryan Puri (Grade 10, San Marino High School, San Marino CA) explains his flight experiment to NASA TV and member of the press at the SpaceX Dragon launch attempt on May 19, 2012 at Kennedy Space Center, FL. (Anne Helmenstine)

There are 15 SSEP experiments flying on SpaceX Dragon's Mission 1 to the ISS. The SSEP program is ongoing, so if you are are a student interested in flying an experiment, visit the website and get started!

The SpaceX May 19 launch was aborted after the engines ignited, with a half second remaining until lift-off. Here's the video I took of the non-launch, which was pretty cool, even though it didn't actually go anywhere.

SpaceX aborted the launch because a sensor detected slightly high pressure in engine 5. They traced the problem to a faulty check valve on the Merlin engine. The part should be replaced by the end of the day, giving them a new launch target of Tuesday, May 22 at 3:44 am EDT. So far, the weather is looking cooperative for the launch window.

About a third of the student experiments (the sole payload on this mission) are affected by launch delays. When a launch is postponed, sometimes experiments are removed and replaced for the next launch window. The students are an adaptable group of scientists, meeting the challenges of space-based research with all the skill and determination of more traditional researchers who have flown experiments to the ISS. I had the opportunity to interview some of the students last night before the launch attempt. I'll have more on that in a bit!

Historic Mission 1 To Carry Student Experiments | SpaceX Dragon Launch To Make Histor

Photo: SpaceX Dragon / Falcon 9 on the launchpad, May 18, 2012 (Anne Helmenstine)

There are all kinds of rumors about ways you can beat a drug test. Obviously the easiest way to pass the test is to avoid taking drugs in the first place, but that's not going to be much help if you've already taken something and are facing a test. According to Snopes, some people drink bleach believing it will somehow clear their system of drugs. While it is unclear where this idea originated, the rumor is out there. Will it work? Will drinking bleach hurt you or kill you? Here's the lowdown:

Drinking Bleach to Pass a Drug Test

Household bleach consists of about 5.25% sodium hypochlorite in water. Specifically, Clorox says their bleach contains water, sodium hypochlorite, sodium chloride, sodium carbonate, sodium hydroxide and sodium polyacrylate. They also make scented products that include fragrances. Bleach also contains small amounts of impurities, which aren't a big deal when you're using the product for disinfection or cleaning, but could prove toxic if ingested. None of these ingredients binds to drugs or their metabolites or inactivates them such that you would test negative on a drug test.

What Happens If You Drink Bleach?

So, of course you are wondering what happens if you drink bleach. People have done this and lived to tell the tale. Drinking a small amount of bleach won't kill you, particularly if you dilute it in water, but it is corrosive and can irritate or damage your mucous membranes and esophagus. Ingesting a few milliliters of bleach most likely will irritate your eyes, nose and throat and may cause nausea and vomiting and possibly diarrhea. Vomiting a small amount of bleach is not recommended, since this re-exposes your esophagus to the chemicals and may worsen the damage. Drinking a larger volume of bleach can hurt or kill you. The toxicity results from the chlorine gas that is produced, the corrosivity of bleach and ingestion of sodium (hypernatremia). Chest pain, low blood pressure, shock and possibly coma or death may result from either inhaling too much bleach or drinking it.

The Bottom Line

Drinking bleach won't help you pass a drug test and may make you sick or dead.