ADVENT OF THE ZERO-G COFFEE CUP
Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti sips from the newly invented zero-G coffee cup aboard the International Space Station. NASA image. |
Editor’s
Note: Earlier this year Pillar to Post Daily Online Magazine posted news
regarding the ongoing task of upgrading coffee functions aboard the
International Space Station (ISS). That was on Nov. 22, 2014. Here’s an update on how the new espresso
machine aboard ISS is performing.
GUEST
BLOG—By NASA Space Science--Astronauts on the International Space
Station (ISS) give up many pleasures to take those giant leaps in the name of
science. They leave behind fresh vegetables, relaxing hot showers, warm
sunshine, gently misting rain, and much more.
One of the things astronauts say they miss most is a good cup of
coffee. How would you like to start your morning sucking freeze dried coffee
through a straw from a sealed plastic bag?
No, thank you.
Now, there’s good news for astronauts: Morning Joe recently got
an upgrade. On April 20th, SpaceX delivered to the space station a new
microgravity coffee machine named “ISSpresso.”
Advances in the understanding of how fluids behave in low
gravity is key to spacecraft operations. A long-awaited spin-off is an
excellent cup of coffee in space.
Close up of six zero-G coffee cups that allow astronauts aboard the International Space Station to enjoy sipping espresso coffee while in space. NASA image. |
“Our aerospace engineers have designed a coffeemaker that can
function in microgravity conditions,” says David Avino of the Italian
engineering firm Argotec. “Working together with the coffee company Lavazza and
the Italian Space Agency, we have brought authentic Italian espresso onto the
International Space Station.”
However, it’s still not good enough. No one wants to drink
Italian espresso from a plastic bag, however.
What astronauts need is a “zero-G coffee cup.”
Fortunately, six of these wonders have been delivered to the
space station as well.
Fluid physicist Mark Weislogel of Portland State University and
IRPI LLC, who helped invent the cups, explains why they are necessary:
"If you tried to use a regular coffee mug, you might not
get the coffee to your mug instead," says Weislogel. "It would be
trapped at the bottom of the mug.”
In low-gravity environments like the space station, fluids tend
to get ‘sticky.’ Surface tension and capillary effects, which are overwhelmed
by gravity on Earth, rule the day in space.
As a result, coffee tends to cling to the walls of the cup.
“You could dip your
tongue in the cup, and lick the hot coffee out. Or you could throw it out of
the cup and suck down the scalding blob that forms in the air." No thanks.
The zero-G coffee cup solves these problems by 'going with the
flow': putting the strange behavior of fluid in microgravity to work.
"Basically,” explains Weislogel, “the liquid piles up right
at the lip of the cup and keeps flowing as you sip. It pours out by the
combined effects of your mouth, the wetting conditions of the fluid, surface
tension, and the particular shape of the cup."
This oddball looking cup wouldn’t work on Earth, but it is a
marvel in space.
Weislogel and colleagues learned how to make the coffee cup by
conducting 'capillary flow' experiments onboard the station. For years they have been studying how fluids
on the station climb the walls of their containers, turn corners, and perform
other maneuvers that defy Earthly intuition.
“It’s not all about the coffee,” he says. “We need to understand
how fluids behave in any container.”
The operation of many critical space station systems -- air
conditioning, refrigerators, toilets, cryogenic fuel tanks, medical treatments,
the water supply, and everything else that involves liquids-- depends on the
ebb and flow of fluids.
“These systems must work without gravity if they are to be used
on the International Space Station – or on a spaceship en route to Mars,” he
adds.
Compared with those other systems, "coffee is not in the
critical path of operations," says Weislogel.
Try telling that to the astronauts at 5:30 in the morning.
Source: NASA SPACE STATION COFFEE VIDEO:
Previous Pillar to Post Daily Online Magazine post on ISS and ISS espresso go to November 22, 2014.
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