Space Coffee
 
July 10, 2015:  Astronauts on the International Space Station give up many
pleasures to take those giant leaps in the name of science. They leave behind
fresh vegetables, relaxing hot showers, warm sunshine, gently misting rain,
and much more.
 
One of the things astronauts say they miss most is a good cup of coffee. How
would YOU like to start your morning sucking freeze dried coffee through a
straw from a sealed plastic bag?
 
Good news for astronauts: Morning Joe recently got an upgrade. On April 20th,
SpaceX delivered to the space station a new microgravity coffee machine named
"ISSpresso."
 
http://youtu.be/dWuEVSCw8B8
 
Advances in the understanding of how fluids behave in low gravity is key to
spacecraft operations. A long-awaited spin-off is an excellent cup of coffee
in space.
 
"Our aerospace engineers have designed a coffeemaker that can function in
microgravity conditions," says David Avino of the Italian engineering firm
Argotec. "Working together with the coffee company Lavazza and the Italian
Space Agency, we have brought authentic Italian espresso onto the
International Space Station."
 
No one wants to drink Italian espresso from a plastic bag, however.  What
astronauts need is a "zero-G coffee cup."
 
Fortunately, six of these wonders have been delivered to the space station as
well.
 
Fluid physicist Mark Weislogel of Portland State University and IRPI LLC, who
helped invent the cups, explains why they are necessary:
 
"If you tried to use a regular coffee mug, you might not get the coffee to
your face," says Weislogel. "It would be trapped at the bottom of the mug."
 
In low-gravity environments like the space station, fluids tend to get
`sticky.' Surface tension and capillary effects, which are overwhelmed by
gravity on Earth, rule the day in space.  As a result, coffee tends to cling
to the walls of the cup.
 
"You could dip your tongue in the cup, and lick the hot coffee out. Or you
could throw it out of the cup and suck down the scalding blob that forms in
the air."
 
No thanks.  [(-:]
 
The zero-G coffee cup solves these problems by 'going with the flow': putting
the strange behavior of fluid in microgravity to work.
 
"Basically," explains Weislogel, "the liquid piles up right at the lip of the
cup and keeps flowing as you sip. It pours out by the combined effects of your
mouth, the wetting conditions of the fluid, surface tension, and the
particular shape of the cup."
 
This oddball cup wouldn't work on Earth, but it is a marvel in space.
 
Weislogel and colleagues learned how to make the coffee cup by conducting
'capillary flow' experiments onboard the station.  For years they have been
studying how fluids on the station climb the walls of their containers, turn
corners, and perform other maneuvers that defy Earthly intuition.
 
"It's not all about the coffee," he says. "We need to understand how fluids
behave in any container."
 
The operation of many critical space station systems -- air conditioning,
refrigerators, toilets, cryogenic fuel tanks, medical treatments, the water
supply, and everything else that involves liquids-- depends on the ebb and
flow of fluids.
 
"These systems must work without gravity if they are to be used on the
International Space Station - or on a spaceship en route to Mars," he adds.
 
Compared to those other systems, "coffee is not in the critical path of
operations," says Weislogel.
 
Try telling that to the astronauts at 5:30 in the morning.
 
 
Regards,
 
Roger

--- D'Bridge 3.99
 * Origin: NCS BBS - Houma, LoUiSiAna (1:3828/7)