ScienceCasts: The Zero Gravity Coffee Cup 

As hard as it was to study fluid dynamics in my physics class, I would love to learn more about fluids in space!!! Thank you NASA for the research!!!!

The fact that the astronauts enjoying themself and experiment (playing around) make me extremely happy for a number of reasons. I can't be the only one? :)

For a species that depends on all kinds of fluids every moment of our lives, it's hard to find ways that we *won't* benefit from a better understanding of fluid dynamics.

3:48 lol at the 4th astronaut trying to drink his coffee with the cup upside down. Seems someone didn't read the memo about the Zero Gravity Coffee Cup.

Sen-sa-ci-o-nal ! Beber café no espaço é muitíssimo complicado. Físicos inventaram um copo de café para gravidade zero. Agora os astronautas, da Estação Espacial Internacional, podem ter um café da manhã tranquilos.

This is not about making coffee everyday on the space station, this is about finding out what do you need to do if you really want to make a cup of coffee in space. And by tackling this seemingly insignificant question, the scientists found out more about how liquids and capillary forces work in microgravity. In normal situations all astronauts drink from a packet of liquid with a straw that has a valve that prevents the liquid from escaping.

A straw does not draw liquid up. The pressure on the liquid from 'above' is pushing down or on the liquid. The straw experiences reduced pressure when you suck the air out. The push from outside pressure pushes the liquid up the straw. Gravity plays very little role except for the orientation. Look at other videos---they use straws all the time.

"The US military spends as much in 23 days as NASA spends in a year - and that's when we're not fighting a war." -Neil deGrasse Tyson

Guys, this isn't about the coffee cup. It's about more efficient designs for spacecraft systems that utilize fluids, like engines and running water. The coffee cup is just a simple application of that.

It's funny how they still lift the cups, out of habit, above their mouths as if "to pour" the coffee. I don't think they ever mentioned straws....

Very nice work! But when can we just get round to doing the simple thing of an O'neil class contra rotating environment. Then we wouldnt have to deal with such mico gravity issues as drinking coffee, having a shower, muscle and bone density loss, liquid tank pressurisation and flow

The trick is to "viscosity", which is what allows fluid to stick and hold a structure.

That really depends on how long the straw is and what it's made of. Oh and also what temperature the liquid or gas touching the outside of the straw is.

Exactly. This simply concept will help us engineer simpler machines in space, without the need for overly complicated regulators and sealed environments. It allows for designs to be more similar to that of earth style physics...LOL.

I've seen this type of cup a few years back when the astronaut posted it on youtube! It's a brilliant idea. Future humans in the coming centuries will still use it as it's the most simple way to drink in zero G!

As Don Pettit described in the video that the footage from 2:58 came from, this isn't really a problem of coffee, but fluids in space- especially things like fuel lines and water lines which were mentioned in the video. He also commented that there is a nice sense of civility and just "normal life" to be able to drink from a cup instead of "Capri Sun" pouches all the time.

congrats, you made your point, now everything is clear

I think that without gravity the fluid would continue to spray out of the straw due to pressure differences, like when you siphon something through a hose...

This video was highly educational and interesting. That being said, It was a tad long and the delivery was really boring. I felt as if someone put a bunch of photos into a presentation and read an article to me simultaneously. I think this video needed a faster pace, more information and a lot more video clips.

Not at all. By solving simple problems (How do I drink coffee in space?), people are able to build upon the solutions to accomplish more meaningful tasks (How to I control liquid waste with minimal mechanical involvement?). Mathematicians do it all the time. State a simple-to-understand problem, solve it, and then look for additional applications. Plus the new "coffee" cup looks like a pretty cost effective way to consume many other liquids. Cheaper and lighter than bottles and straws.

I think everyone should have a right to ENJOY" a good cup of coffee in the morning to start the day no matter where you are...yEEhAw ..you go boys in SPACE..

That reminded me about the story of how when faced with that task of developing a pen that works in zero g, the Russians just used a pencil.

Yep, as I said, this heated discussion is most probably a storm in a cup of water or hot coffee if you want :)

Yes, it would, but the problem isn't drinking the coffee as it is getting it to stay in the damn cup in zero gravity. As you can see, they solved it, because it adheres to the walls of the bag.

Has there been any MRI scans taken of the human anatomy while in space at zero gravity?

Living in space just got a lot more trickier. I love gravity. At least we compete with the pull, pull n push.

a fully enclosed vessel is what they are trying to move away from.

They used to. Have you ever tried drinking a hot liquid through a straw? You could burn your tongue rather easily.

Have you ever been to space... ON WEED?! If not I volunteer myself to study the effects, you know, for science

Wouldn't a straw have worked equally as well as the cup?

It's for innovation in technology concerned with fluids.

experiments are small but have big applications :)

I had one of those cups years ago... ran over my go cup with the truck

how can you keep food and drink down? what about all body fluids? :c

all due respect to the individuals behind the invention, but who should get the credit when by large the effort was public, its the International Space Station after all.

Well...there is some steam going out of a hot cup. Therefore you could get easily burned.

Everyday strangeness. Nice one!

Very Informative.

Yup, all taxpayers from all ISS countries are legitimate owners of this invention since we all made it possible. No doubt the astronauts are the smartest but we deserve credit too.

Straw, anybody? What's ironic is that they are using a CapriSun packet, cut in half without a straw. Actually, CapriSuns hold more liquid ;p

there is, you just have to use centrifugal force. Break the ship in two parts connected by a cable and let it rotate

You're right but I never saw a patent that was worth the paper it is printed on. Unless you've got enough money to defend it. I've been involved in a couple and the costs were huge since you've got to cover regions individually. I'm about to produce a new propulsion system for personal powered water craft and have given up on any idea of patenting it. The Chinese will ignore it at least and given my inability to defend it anyway I am not going to even tip anyone off with patent pending app.

When will they be adding the large centrifuge like in 2001 a space odyssey?

My next novel will take my coffee addict hero to space. Good thing he can still drink coffee.

straw deprives you from all the aroma and flavors you inhale while bringing the cup to your mouth... however, it is questionable how these will behave in zero gravity :D

Post more videos!!

I'm a little confused at how this is being talked about. Capillary flow seems very intuitive to me. In fact, a lot of liquid motions in micro gravity seem intuitive to me. Why so much awe?

Why not just use a modified syringe? Like something on the scale of a turkey baster but reliant on a plunger to move the liquid?

because it would team up with steam, have epic sales and take all your money

This coffee cup is a really bad idea and equally useless since they can drink coffee from a bag with a straw and not have to worry about accidentally flinging coffee across the station. Did you see how careful those guys were being when they toasted their cups?

Does is mean that you believe in the rights of entities who have paid for an items development to own the rights to it but not if that entity is a government?

Great!

Indeed! I was about to post the same question :D

they have waivered their rights in the moment they agreed to use the ISS, or at least they should have. and please, it is NOT "just because".

Está bien motivar el ingenio Humano, pero insisto debieramos utilizarlo para crear un campo gravitatorio similar al que tenemos en la Tierra dentro de las naves.

That story is an urban myth (search Snopes, NASA Space Pen ), the "Space Pen" was not developed by NASA, so they were never "faced with the task of developing a pen that works in zero g"

Yeah, I was thinking that as well, Just use a straw.

Etmax1 speaks the truth!!!!!

What will happen to Liquid Nitrogen instead of Coffee

what about good old plastic straws?

wouldn't the last drops get trapped in the bottom corner when you are in an environment with gravity. It would be the devil to get out that last dried part in the bottom corner after it had sat in your car all day. Not so good on the home planet.

The way i saw it was loitering in space

a long bendy straw then! :P

Sooo, how many years to get a phd??

wrong! the one who pays for the work is the one who owns the product. I myself have created patents, owned by the company I worked for. I underline again, when such a MASSIVE public effort is involved, 100s of billions of dollars of taxpayers money, there is no room for 'mine'. As I mentioned in another comment under this video, this 'heated' discussion might just be storm in a glass of water, since it is very likely that the patents are owned by ISS itself, authored by the honorable scientists.

Neat.

Wait what happens when you pee? What happens when you know.... do the other thing, how do you clean it.

You can't just use a straw. They explained that. You could use a syringe (good thinking Tyler). As for those who say nonsense like, "More mass money funding for futile exersizes" these are the same people who have computers (another spinoff of the space program). Integrated circuits were developed to reduce the weight of the rocket's payload. You're whining about "futile exercises" on the result of a "futile exercise" that you paid hundreds of dollars just to own. HERE ON EARTH. Think.

cup?

y los subtitulos, cuando!?!?!?!?!?!??

oh give me a break..you take your ziplocked coffee pouch and then say it is a special cup? LOL. I say IV the coffee,quick and fast,no spills.

They cant afford a real cup in space... Lol

it is not about the credit, it is about the ownership of the invention. it is very likely that we make storm in a glass of water, imho the owner of all things created on the ISS are the taxpayers, ergo the public!

I don't drink much coffee but I know one thing, that was not coffee.

actually Everything up there is falling constantly

STAR bucks ?

Government is socializing risk and privatizing profit.

Isn't there Microgravity?

Would it be more simple to just drink coffee with a straw?

Science, fuck yeah

How is it possible to watch this video about how liquids act in zero gravity and believe there are a$$tro-NOTs living out there in the International Space Play Station?

I don't really care about liquids in space SHOW US THE GOD DAM ALIENS ALREADY

What about a straw?

Fucking brilliant.

make a glass or porcelain one

finally! someone that see's! bravo yakyakyak69

Does it work with champagne?

Je na cos a bon :)

I see medical potential

this is how star bucks freezes there coffee

oh, you beat me to it :p

Cool discovery...not sure why they need patents. Are the Russians or Chinese going to even pay attention to them;-) Plus, I agree with some of the other posters, just use a straw....

How can people on earth benefit from this

Because it's not specially designed.

why stray from the polite tone, sir? I've nothing against patents in general, but when it comes to something created largely with public money, the rights must belong to the public.

Important experiments in fluid dynamics are a "waste of scarce resources"? Really? You can't be serious...

No

Hey

You're completely wrong. A straw works because of air pressure and partially because of gravity. These astronauts aren't dumbasses you know, lol.

It's not to drink coffee.