Watch astronauts drink coffee in space

Like many people, astronauts enjoy a cup of coffee from time to time, but due to the lack of gravity, making and drinking it is a little different than on solid Earth.

With that in mind, NASA just released a short video (above) showing astronauts getting their daily coffee cravings aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

To obtain the water for their brew, the astronauts use a specially designed water dispensing unit that captures recycled liquids and moisture from the air. Once the water is heated, the astronaut grabs a plastic bag filled with freeze-dried coffee grounds, connects it to the device and fills it with hot water. Afterwards, they can enjoy their coffee and sip it through a straw. Or from a cup… let us explain.

Zero Gravity Coffee Mug

In 2008, an astronaut, Don Pettit (who also happens to be aboard the station at the time), decided he wanted to enjoy his coffee in a more traditional way by drinking it from a cup. So he invented the so-called zero gravity coffee cup, which you can see in the video. To make a prototype, Pettit tore off a piece of plastic from his Flight Data File mission book to create a teardrop-shaped drinking vessel. The design is based on surface tension and the laws of physics to prevent the liquid from floating away in zero gravity conditions.

Further development and refinement of the design led to the Zero Gravity coffee cup becoming the first patented product invented in space.

Now that you know how astronauts drink coffee in space, you might be wondering how they go to the bathroom – apparently this is the question astronauts are asked most often. Well, this video explains everything about astronauts' toilet routine.

For more insight into the life and work of astronauts aboard the space station, check out this collection of videos created over the years by visitors to the orbital outpost.