A Coffee Cup

The timing for this article couldn’t be better, given the inventor of one of the most compelling inventions for a cup of coffee in space has just returned to Earth for the last time. This is what I got to know him for. But of course, Donald R. Pettit has done much more than that. With more than 590 days in space and over 13 spacewalk hours, he explored metal 3D printing methods in-orbit, plant growth under varying water conditions, and investigated fire behaviour in microgravity.

I got to know about his capillary cup rather late from the moment he came up with this very clever solution. Back in 2021, I was writing my master's thesis about the Translation of Objects from Earth to Space. I was looking for a very simple everyday activity to base my thesis question: Why is industrial design valuable for the commercialisation of space travelling?

Drinking a cup of coffee seemed like the perfect activity. It is something millions of people do every morning, it is a pleasure that has become a routine for many of us, it’s an experience that requires all of our senses, and it is definitely something people want to bring with them when exploring outer space. It’s such an experience we have created multiple methods to achieve the perfect cup of coffee, yet the process is so simple that it can be easily put into three steps, so simple it almost doesn’t need instructions.

Before I introduce you to the capillary cup, we need to first discuss what brought Dr. Pettit to explore a solution for drinking coffee in a microgravity environment.

Taste and Smell: When a human is in a zero gravity environment, the olfactory senses decrease by around 20%, meaning the tasting senses decrease as both are needed to sense flavours and smells. This is the main reason for astronauts to always add extra spicy sauces, salt and pepper to the food sent to space, otherwise they feel like they are eating a flavourless mass/liquid.

Container: Because coffee is a liquid beverage that is mainly served hot (I will not be discussing cold brew here), it needs to be distributed and stored in a sachet and drunk with a straw… Reducing half of the experience of drinking a coffee, since smelling and holding a cup of fresh brewed coffee is an essential part of it.

No spills: Microgravity environments are very vulnerable, so even tiny crumbs or small drops of liquid floating without any control in a cabin can go into a ventilation system and create several damages to the ISS for example.

Figure 1 - Astronauts showing how yesterday’s coffee becomes today’s coffee. In the ISS urine is purified into clean water for the consumption of the astronauts on board.
Important: These needs have been highlighted and evaluated by me for the sake of my article, I have not been able to hold conversation with Dr. Pettit and confirm my speculations are aligned with his motivations, which most likely are connected with his chemical engineering endeavours.

Anyways, the amazing discovery of being able to contain liquid in an open container is truly sensational to witness. Apparently fluids in microgravity attach themselves to narrow angles, which means the way we know mugs would totally change in outer space.

Figure 1 - Astronauts showing how yesterday’s coffee becomes today’s coffee. In the ISS urine is purified into clean water for the consumption of the astronauts on board.

Continuing here

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Reminder:

Let's design for space responsibly, without forgetting where we come from.

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Let’s work together