The European Space Agency (ESA) has posted a video on X, formerly Twitter, showing an astronaut's experience preparing and enjoying a cup of coffee aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The video starts with astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti transferring coffee from a packet into a compact container. However, when she attempts to take a sip, the beverage fails to flow as expected. She then takes a specially designed cup, successfully pours the coffee into it, and sips it without any difficulty. A text overlay on the screen labels this distinctive cup as a 'space cup'.
ESA shared the video with the caption, "Our astronaut demonstrates how she has her morning coffee in space!" accompanied by the hashtag #InternationalCoffeeDay. It was posted on October 1, which is celebrated internationally as the International Coffee Day to promote coffee as a beloved beverage.
How do you like your coffee?☕️
— ESA (@esa) October 1, 2023
Our astronaut @AstroSamantha demonstrates how she has her morning coffee in space! #InternationalCoffeeDay pic.twitter.com/UKA1Hy0EWW
The video has amassed 250,000 views, more than 2,000 likes, and nearly 600 retweets. Amazed social media users have posted several comments too.
One user remarked, "It's the little things that remind us of the reality of a space-faring civilization."
Another noted, "If I'm not mistaken, she was the first person to enjoy coffee in space with the ISSpresso."
A third person expressed their admiration, saying, "I wish you a beautiful morning and send my best wishes to all astronauts. You're doing great!"
In a humorous tone, a fourth individual quipped, "I can't live without coffee! That's why I couldn't be an astronaut."
Specially designed space cups:
NASA explained in a blog that these microgravity cups were created to aid astronauts in savouring their coffee in space.
"The results will validate and guide mathematical models that enable engineers to manipulate capillary fluid physics (capillary fluidics) for designing containers tailored to specific tasks," NASA added.
Explaining the functionality of the space cups, NASA stated, "Touching your lips to the rim of the Space Cup establishes a capillary connection, granting the drinker access to the entire contents. Whether sipped slowly or downed in one gulp, the cup's contents can be consumed somewhat normally in space, just as on Earth."
"We designed the Space Cup with the primary goal of passively delivering the liquid to the lip of the cup. To achieve this, we leverage surface tension, wetting conditions, and the unique geometry of the cup itself. We are still learning about human-cup interaction in microgravity. The cup's design positions the drinker's nose directly above the fluid contents," NASA elaborated.
