astronaut orbiting the Earth in the International Space Station oftenmiss the many comfort of house : A fond shower . Family time . And of course , a good cup of joe .
“ ‘ An espresso coffee is what I miss most aboard the International Space Station . ’ We have repeatedly heard this scuttlebutt from the Italian astronauts,”saysItalian coffee company Lavazza , which team up with aerospace technology companyArgotecto make an espresso simple machine designed specifically to be used in quad . It ’s called theISSpresso(I - reciprocal ohm - S for International Space Station . Get it ? ) , and itarrivedat its goal this morning , three days after leaving Earth on aSpaceXsupply ship . Now astronauts can get a cup of umber that is “ good , red-hot , and steaming,”saysGiuseppe Lavazza , Vice President of Lavazza .
The first pour will likely go to Italian Air Force CaptainSamantha Cristoforetti . She ’s been on the ISS for four months already , pressure to drink clamant coffee which , when you ’re used to the glory that is Italian espresso , is torturous . " For an clamant burnt umber , it ’s an excellent instant umber , " Vickie Kloeris , who grapple the space post ’s food supplying for NASA , tells NPR . “ Can it compete with brew espresso ? No . "
While the ISSpresso car is especially design to withstand blank conditions , nobody really knows how it will behave . “ The principles that regulate the fluid dynamics of liquids and mixtures are very unlike from those distinctive on Earth , ” Lavazza says . In a normal espresso machine , the tubes that carry water are made of plastic . In the ISSpresso , they ’re made of a particular steel that can hold up utmost pressure . The car is around the size of a microwave but weigh about 44 pounds .
Here’show it ’s supposed to make for : A little capsule containing the coffee berry is installed along with a water bag . When the brewage is done , the coffee make its way into a received NASA drinking pouch , which can be removed — and voila — espresso in a bag . ( They ’re act upon on designing a small cup that could be used in zero gravity . ) It ’s sort of like the pod - establish Keurig machines we ’re so familiar with down here on Earth , and like the Keurig auto , the ISSpresso produces waste material with each brewage . That could make a lot of trash in a short amount of fourth dimension , and getting thing on and off the ISS is an expensive process . " We ’ll see how it goes , " Kloerissays . " If it ’s successful , then we ’ll have to figure out how we ’re going to resupply it . "
But why go to all this trouble for a cup of coffee berry ? NASA hopes the ISSpresso auto will do more than caffeinate astronauts . It will provide a seat for socialize and exchanging ideas , a form of in - orbit turning point cafe . relaxation method is “ an vista that should not be ignored in delegation that keep the astronauts aside from home for many months in a very challenging surroundings , ” Lavazzasays .
“ Food supply an important psychological support,”saysDavid Avino , Managing Director of Argotec . “ Being able-bodied to enjoy a effective Italian espresso may be just the right way to finish off the computer menu designed peculiarly for each astronaut , help him or her to finger closer to house . ”
The ISSpresso political machine arrived at the space station with a first stack of just 20 to 30 coffee bean abridgement , so Cristoforetti might want to pace herself .
