I'll take my latte Zero-G. Science lessons from coffee in space
It鈥檚 official: You don鈥檛 need to be on Earth to get a good cup of coffee.
Over the weekend, Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti sipped from a cup of the first ever espresso brewed on the International Space Station (ISS). The coffee-making experiment was part of assigned to her during her nearly six-month stay in space 鈥� a mission designed 鈥溾�� as she shares her experiences with the public via social media, according to the European Space Agency鈥檚 (ESA) website.
鈥淔resh espresso in the new Zero-G cup!鈥� Ms. Cristoforetti posted on Twitter. 鈥淭o boldly brew鈥︹��
Since starting her stay on the ISS in November, Cristoforetti, the first Italian woman to embark on a long-term space assignment, has kept a daily log of photos, videos, and insights about life in orbit. Her posts, along with those of the aboard the station, provide a visual account of their experiments and activities, many of which are meant to promote science, fitness, and nutrition to children here on Earth as part of the mission.
Cristoforetti鈥檚 involvement in educational activities has included taking questions from students about topics such as space technology and alternative food sources that are key to sustaining astronauts in space.
The espresso experiment, however, was as much for science in general as it was for education.
鈥淯ntil Sunday, we didn鈥檛 know exactly how hot fluids under high pressure reacted鈥� in the low-gravity environment of the ISS, Roberto Battiston, president of the Italian space agency ASI, told The New York Times. 鈥淣ow we do.鈥�
The espresso machine, called the , was developed by Italian engineering and software firm Argotec in collaboration with ASI and coffee company Lavazza with the goal of producing data around the passive movement of complex fluids.
Much of what occurs when brewing and drinking espresso 鈥� the formation of foam, the cooling and condensation of the liquid, even the movement of the fluid from the cup into the mouth 鈥� are induced by gravity, Portland State University professor and ISS researcher Mark Weislogel wrote in .
All that changes in microgravity, so Dr. Weislogel and his colleagues developed a cup that 鈥渆stablishes a capillary connection, almost like the wicking of water through a paper towel,鈥� that allows the drinker to access the liquid, he wrote. The cup is based on a 2008 design station by astronaut Don Pettit. 聽
The results of the experiment could provide data for a number of practical applications, such as getting the last drop of fuel out of a tank.聽
鈥淭here are real behind the brew,鈥� Weislogel wrote.
