NASA launches 3D printed coffee cups The space station can also drink coffee elegantly
A cup of fragrant coffee in a leisurely afternoon will surely intoxicate many literary and artistic freshmen, but if you are in a microgravity space environment, it is quite difficult to drink coffee as elegantly as on the ground. Because the gravity-free or microgravity environment can make the liquid very disobedient, the astronauts on the space station have always needed to put coffee or other drinks in "infusion bags" to absorb and drink, which is really good to have no "feelings" at all.
However, just recently, NASA launched a 3D-printed coffee cup that allows astronauts to have a drinking experience similar to that of normal gravity with the help of a special container shape. It is worth mentioning that since there is almost no gravity, the liquid does not flow out when you tilt the ordinary cup, but still stays in the cup honestly, so how can you enjoy it elegantly?
In an in-depth study of the flow behavior of liquids in microgravity, Mark Weislogel of Portland State University designed a clever V-shaped groove on the side wall of the cup, so that the surface tension of the liquid can be used to drain the liquid out of the cup, making it naturally less strenuous to drink. In addition, Mark Weislogel said that it is okay to drink it in small sips or continuously, and the actual experience of many astronauts also confirms this, and it is really enviable to imagine enjoying the beauty of the universe while sipping coffee.