Astronauts on the International Space Station have a zero-g cup for their java.
Credit: NASA Johnson Space Center
Credit: NASA Johnson Space Center
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TechTranscript
00:00When working 12- to 14-hour days aboard the International Space Station,
00:05caffeine is, well, a must for many astronauts.
00:08On average, an astronaut may consume about 100 mg of caffeine per day.
00:12That's equivalent to one cup of coffee, two cups of tea,
00:15or about one can of a typical energy drink.
00:18But in space, they can't just pour a cup of joe.
00:21To get their morning brew, astronauts typically sip from a plastic pouch through a straw.
00:25However, astronaut Don Pettit wanted the comforting feeling of sipping from a mug in his hand.
00:30So he invented another way, the zero-gravity cup, also known as the space cup.
00:35The cup relies on surface tension and the laws of physics to keep the liquid in place,
00:39enabling the drinker to take spill-free sips.
00:42Just how does the space cup work?
00:44In microgravity, liquids will form in globs, or bubbles.
00:47So to keep coffee from floating away,
00:49the space cup's specially designed shape ensures that as crew members sip,
00:53the liquid flows through an angled channel,
00:55creating an experience like drinking from a mug on Earth.
00:58But there's a wrinkle, getting the water for their brew.
01:01Aboard the space station, crew members actually need to turn yesterday's coffee into today's coffee.
01:07They use a water dispensing unit that takes recycled liquids
01:10and the moisture gathered from the air to provide hot, potable water for the crew.
01:14Then they will take a plastic pouch loaded with freeze-dried coffee grounds,
01:17connect it to the unit, and fill the pouch with hot water.
01:20From there, crew members can sip their fresh java.
01:23Now one big question looms for the future.
01:25Exactly how much coffee would be enough to sustain a mission to Mars?