Astronauts Hacked a Space Coffee Cup for Caffeine in Orbit

Zero gravity didn’t stop these pioneers from getting their brewed beverage

Drinking coffee in space is not easy. Liquids move, fly and float all sorts of directions without the proper vessel to contain them. In space, gravity is negligible, so liquid behaves differently.

Astronaut Kjell Lindgren missed good coffee while in orbit. The capillary beverage cup now makes it possible to brew coffee in space by making a slight adaption on a 3D-printed espresso cup created by Portland State University mechanical engineering graduate student Drew Wollman and his professor Mark Weislogel, by adding a modified brewer attachment. In the video below, a syringe is filled with hot water and the water is pumped through an attached coffee-pod (think K-cup), which creates freshly brewed coffee as it flows directly into the printed espresso mug.

Once in the cup, a plastic crease in the structure keeps the liquid right where it has to be. The cup’s unique geometry creates a capillary pressure gradient that drives the liquid forward toward the face of the drinker, while surface tension brings it to the astronauts lips when sipping. The geometry of the cup creates surface tension that draws the fresh coffee to the lip of the cup. However, it remains held in place within the bounds of 3D-printed container. As such, an astronaut can drain the cup in sips or one long gulp in much the same manner as on earth without needing to tip their head, and, of course, without gravity. The liquids stay exactly where they should, even without a lid.

3D-printing led to the innovation that will afford astronauts a whole new way to brew coffee in space. But aside from giving astronauts a safer, more pleasant drinking experience, the cups are also reusable to help conserve precious onboard resources, with a single 3D-printed innovation. All of this experimentation goes beyond coffee.

The management of water, liquid fuels, coolants and even drinks brings its own challenges in space. All facets of the project are aimed at helping the scientists discover the behaviors of liquids in space, which could be used to make liquid systems aboard space vessels more effective. The geometric properties of Wollman’s 3D-printed cup could lead to even greater innovation for these astronauts.

Originally published at www.psfk.com on February 29, 2016.