There were rumors circulating that space shuttle pilots were drinking and flying. LeeAundra Temescu of Discover magazine took it upon himself to see whether or not is is possible to land the shuttle while inebriated, by using the most accurate shuttle landing simulator on the planet; the one that the astronaut themselves use. Interestingly enough Temescu was successful all the way up to a blood alcohol content of .14 which is way more than just a little tipsy. Then at .20 the "space sickness" kicked in and Temescu was unable to do so. In any case it shows that the automation of the space shuttle is very well programmed and organized. However, Temescu wasn't wearing a space suit nor were there any of the many problems that can occur in the simulation (and even more so in real life) that might occur on such a descent. "Former space shuttle commander Rick Searfoss" assures us that there are no drunk astronauts during landing.
Also the idea of tang and vodka was brought up. Bleck.
Whole article at: Can a Drunk Person Fly the Space Shuttle?
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