Coffee in Space?
Can you take a sip of your coffee from an open cup while you are in ISS? Astronaut Don Pettit most certainly believed that he could, and he made this probability come true by using a little magic named science.
Let me introduce you to the Zero-G Cup with its unique shape and purpose.
The Work Principle
Donald Pettit’s cup has a corrugated shape that creates its own gravity by using the surface tension of the liquid. Besides, the sharp end of the cup serves as a capillary tube when astronauts start to drink. As a result, liquid flows directly to the astronaut’s mouth without spilling all around the ISS.
How Was It Invented?
Donald Pettit is an astronaut and chemical engineer who served in ISS and participate in numerous experiments and innovations. He wanted to drink water with an open cup and without straws during his service time, so he started searching for a Zero-G Cup.
He named his search for this invention “just goofing around,” but he created a tool that is a beautiful harmony of engineering and creativity.
Future of The Cup
Astronaut Jim Peake mentioned this tool as an exciting device in his book Ask an Astronaut: My Guide to Life in Space. Although he expressed his thought about the futuristic perspective of the cup, he claimed that the nature of the cup is not compatible with life in space. The plastic bottles are safer, cheaper, and they most probably dominate space for a long time.
In conclusion, let me answer my question: yes, you can take a sip of your coffee from an open cup without gravity. You can see ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti enjoying her cup of coffee in space!
References
Peake, T. (2017). Ask an Astronaut: My Guide to Life in Space.
RIT. (n.d.). NASA: Capillary Cup. https://www.rit.edu/vignellicenter/product-timecapsule/nasa-capillary-cup
