A couple of months ago we reported on the installation of the ASI (Italian Space Agency) ISSpresso machine on the International Space Station, bringing another home comfort to its astronauts.
The new custom-made equipment, not much larger than a typical Earth-based machine, allows crew members to make hot beverages and can pressurise the liquid to make espresso, improving food options in orbit.
But it still was not like taking a morning coffee in your favourite cafe, as the ISSspresso machine was intended for use with NASA’s standard drink bag.
Now engineers have come up with an open cup that is just a little more like home on Earth. The cups that use fluid dynamics, water surface tension and cup geometry to mimic the effect of gravity.
