Espresso in Space
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Transcript of Espresso in Space
Espresso in Space
By
www.BuyOrganicCoffee.org
Espresso in Space
By
www.BuyOrganicCoffee.or
g
http://buyorganiccoffee.org/1379/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.
http://buyorganiccoffee.org/1379/espresso-in-space/
An Italian made espresso machine arrived
on the most recent supply ship and now
there is espresso in space.
http://buyorganiccoffee.org/1379/espresso-in-space/
The RT website reports on how real coffee hits space.
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.
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.
http://buyorganiccoffee.org/1379/espresso-in-space/
At last there is espresso in space. If there is an Irish astronaut will Irish coffee be next?
http://buyorganiccoffee.org/1379/espresso-in-space/
Espresso in Space
http://buyorganiccoffee.org/1379/espresso-in-space/
Liquids act strangely in zero gravity. They
float around like blobs. NASA Science explains the zero gravity coffee cup.
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.
http://buyorganiccoffee.org/1379/espresso-in-space/
Of all the strange things that happen up
there, however, it is possible that the strangest happens to coffee.
http://buyorganiccoffee.org/1379/espresso-in-space/
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:
http://buyorganiccoffee.org/1379/espresso-in-space/
"For starters," he says, "it would be a chore
just getting the coffee into the cup. Absent
the pull of gravity, pouring liquids can be very tricky.”
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.
http://buyorganiccoffee.org/1379/espresso-in-space/
The phenomenon is difficult to study on
Earth, where it is damped by gravity, yet on
the space station large scale corner flows
are easy to create and observe.
http://buyorganiccoffee.org/1379/espresso-in-space/
Basically, one side of the cup has a sharp
interior corner. In the microgravity
environment of the space station, capillary
forces send fluid flowing along the channel
right into the lips of the drinker.
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."
http://buyorganiccoffee.org/1379/espresso-in-space/
Here is the zero gravity coffee cup. Notice the sharp right angle at the bottom that makes the liquids “turn the corner.”
http://buyorganiccoffee.org/1379/espresso-in-space/