Category Archives: Space Station

TIME Science space Astronauts on the International Space Station Can Now Enjoy Espresso A prototype of Lavazza's and Argotec's "ISSpresso" machine. The final version of the coffee machine will be the first real Italian espresso machine on The International Space Station, and will coincide with a six-month mission by Italys first Italian female astronaut, Samantha Cristoforetti. Lavazza/AP The Italian engineered 'ISSpresso' can be sipped through a straw

If the only thing keeping you from joining the space program was a lack of decent coffee outside Earths orbit, you no longer have that excuse.

This week Italy sent astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti to the International Space Station with a specially designed espresso machine that works in zero-gravity.

Designed by Turin-based Lavazzo and engineering firm Argotec, the ISSpresso, pumps water under high pressure through the machine into a pouch, where it can be sipped through a straw.

Part of an international crew that arrived on the Russian Soyuz craft, Cristoforetti, 37, also a captain in the Italian air force, will be not only the first female astronaut from Italy to go into space, but also the very first astronaut in the history of the conquest of space to savor an authentic Italian espresso in orbit, the companies said in a statement. If slurping hot coffee through a straw sounds less than ideal, more innovations are on the horizon, thanks to researchers in Portland, where coffee obsession rivals that in Italy.

On Monday a team at Portland State University presented a paper, The Capillary Fluidics of Espresso, detailing a way to enjoy espresso in space in a manner similar to the one on Earth which is to say in a cup by replacing the role of gravity with the forces of surface tension.

Espresso, noted the team, which included a member of NASA and also a high school student, is distinguished by a complex low density colloid of emulsified oils. Due to gravity, these oils rise to the surface forming a foam lid called the crema . To some, the texture and aromatics of the crema play a critical role in the overall espresso experience. We show how in the low-g environment this may not be possible. We also suggest alternate methods for enjoying espresso aboard spacecraft.

Of equal importance, these impressive innovations mean that, should the ISS ever encounter life on other planets, aliens first experience of coffee will not be adulterated with pumpkin spice.

This article originally appeared at PEOPLE.com

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Astronauts on the International Space Station Can Now Enjoy Espresso

WASHINGTON, Nov. 30 (UPI) -- NASA has officially 3D printed an object in space for the first time, on board the International Space Station.

The printer was delivered at the end of September, with help from SpaceX, and it was tested for the first time this week. The object they decided to make is a small placard that says "Made in space, NASA."

NASA astronaut Barry "Butch" Wilmore created the test object.

"This first print is the initial step toward providing an on-demand machine shop capability away from Earth," said Niki Werkheiser, project manager for the International Space Station 3-D Printer at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. "The space station is the only laboratory where we can fully test this technology in space."

The printer was made by a California company named Made in Space, which spent a large portion of two years learning how to 3D print an object without the aid of gravity.

The test found that the part adhesion was stronger than they had predicted, and they intend to study how printing differs in low gravity. NASA will have the printed pieces sent back to Earth for further investigation.

2014 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.

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NASA has 3D printed an object in space for the first time

Russian spaceship docks at International Space Station
Russian spaceship Soyuz TMA- 15M, carrying 3 international crew members, has safely docked in the International Space Station. This manned spacecraft was launched Sunday at the Baikonur space.

By: CCTV News

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Raw: Soyuz Docks With Int #39;l Space Station
A Russian capsule carrying three astronauts from Russia, the United States and Italy has arrived at the International Space Station. (Nov. 23) Subscribe for ...

By: Associated Press

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Raw: Soyuz Docks With Int'l Space Station - Video

Beyond Earth Destination Future Space Exploration Extraordinary Documentary HD
Space exploration is the ongoing discovery and exploration of celestial structures in outer space by means of continuously evolving and growing space technology. While the study of space is...

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Beyond Earth Destination Future Space Exploration Extraordinary Documentary HD - Video

Alien Isolation - Great Gaming Guide #39;s (part 4) - featuring Five Gaming Gents
SUBSCRIBE to see more Great Gaming Guides: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdKw... Next Episode: http://youtu.be/f83Sv9Ag8DE Previous Episode: http://youtu.be/-Nyxdh3b3Xw - - - - - - - -...

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Space Company To Beam 90,000 Messages To Mars
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Space Company To Beam 90,000 Messages To Mars - Video

Soyuz Rocket Launches Carrying 3
Subscribe for more http://goo.gl/bY5w6 --- The Soyuz rocket successfully launched three men to the I.S.S on Monday. The crew will spend around 6 months on the space station conducting various...

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Soyuz Rocket Launches Carrying 3 - Video

Space Station Live: A Pain in the Back
NASA Commentator Lori Meggs at the Marshall Space Flight Center speaks with Jojo Sayson, a co-investigator for the Intervertebral Disc Damage study, about research underway to understand the...

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Space Station Live: A Pain in the Back - Video

By Suzanne Presto, CNN

updated 7:58 PM EST, Thu November 27, 2014 |

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

(CNN) -- We're used to seeing manufacturer tags that read "Made in the USA," "Made in Taiwan" or "Made in..." just about anywhere on the globe. But this week, for the first time, an item can read "Made in Space."

The International Space Station's 3-D printer created the first object to be made in orbit on Tuesday. The U.S. space agency released a picture of astronaut Barry "Butch" Wilmore holding the newly printed piece, a white printer part emblazoned with the words "Made in Space" and "NASA."

It's not just a novelty.

"There are many challenges about living and working in space, including when a part or a tool is broken or simply is not working correctly, and the spare part is 200 miles away, here on the surface of the Earth," said Bill Hubscher of NASA's ISS Program Science Office at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, in a video posted on NASA.gov.

"Explorers traveling to Mars or to asteroids will face these same challenges," but they won't be able to get goods from a resupply ship, he said.

NASA's International Space Station 3-D printer project manager Niki Werkheiser says it's a historic achievement because it allows engineers "to e-mail our hardware to space instead of launching it."

Humans on Mars by 2035? NASA's sci-fi dream could be reality

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Space, the final frontier for 3-D printing