http://buyorganiccoffee.org/1379/espresso-in-space/
Espresso in Space
The fondest wish of Italian astronaut, Samantha Cristoretti, was to have a cup of espresso during her sojourn on the International Space Station. An Italian made espresso machine arrived on the most recent supply ship and now there is espresso in space. The RT website reports on how real coffee hits space.
Last month, the Dragon spacecraft, built and operated by SpaceX, delivered the first-ever space espresso machine, built by Italian coffee company Lavazza and Italian aerospace firm Argotec, to the space station, along with special, zero-gravity cups. Prior to the coffee machine's long-awaited arrival, the only option aboard the orbiting laboratory was powdered instant coffee. The cups, co-designed by International Space Station researcher Mark Weislogel and astronaut Don Pettit, are peculiarly shaped so that a sharp corner makes the liquid inside stream toward a person's mouth when they drink from it.
At last there is espresso in space. If there is an Irish astronaut will Irish coffee be next?
Espresso in Space
The Nasa.gov website reports that the espresso machine in space is about the size of one on earth.
ISSpresso is not much larger than a typical Earth-based espresso machine, and produces espresso, broth or tea.
Making espresso in space is fantastic but how about drinking it from a cup?
The Zero Gravity Coffee Cup
Liquids act strangely in zero gravity. They float around like blobs. NASA Science explains the zero gravity coffee cup.
High above our planet in the realm of satellites and space stations, the familiar rules of Earth do not apply. The midday sky is as black as night. There is no up and no down. Dropped objects do not fall, and hot air does not rise.
Of all the strange things that happen up there, however, it is possible that the strangest happens to coffee.
Physics professor Mark Weislogel of Portland State University has given a lot of thought to coffee (and other fluids) in space, and he describes what happens:
5. http://buyorganiccoffee.org/1379/espresso-
in-space/
Last month, the Dragon spacecraft, built and
operated by SpaceX, delivered the first-ever
space espresso machine, built by Italian
coffee company Lavazza and Italian
aerospace firm Argotec, to the space
station, along with special, zero-gravity
cups.
6. http://buyorganiccoffee.org/1379/espresso-
in-space/
Prior to the coffee machine's long-awaited
arrival, the only option aboard the orbiting
laboratory was powdered instant coffee. The
cups, co-designed by International Space
Station researcher Mark Weislogel and
astronaut Don Pettit, are peculiarly shaped
so that a sharp corner makes the liquid
inside stream toward a person's mouth
when they drink from it.
10. http://buyorganiccoffee.org/1379/espresso-
in-space/
High above our planet in the realm of
satellites and space stations, the familiar
rules of Earth do not apply. The midday sky
is as black as night. There is no up and no
down. Dropped objects do not fall, and hot
air does not rise.
14. http://buyorganiccoffee.org/1379/espresso-
in-space/
[BUT] If two solid surfaces meet at a narrow-
enough angle, fluids in microgravity
naturally flow along the join-no pumping
required. This capillary effect could be used
to guide all kinds of fluids through
spacecraft, from cryogenic fuel to recycled
waste water.
17. http://buyorganiccoffee.org/1379/espresso-
in-space/
"As you sip, more fluid keeps coming, and
you can enjoy your coffee in a weightless
environment - clear down to the last drop,"
says Pettit. "This may well be what future
space colonists use when they want to have
a celebration."
