Space Coffee, Just the Way You Like It 147
Zothecula writes "Since the early days of space travel, a consistent complaint has been lousy coffee. Now a group of freshman engineering students at Rice University have developed a simple approach to alleviating this problem. From the article: 'The challenge was to develop a method and equipment that allows astronauts to add liquid ingredients (cream, sweetener, and lemon juice) from a foil package to another that contains black coffee or tea. No spills in microgravity can be allowed, as these have a tendency to migrate into equipment and cause faults. The Rice freshmen designed their system around the existing black coffee pouches. NASA supplied them two-ply heat sealed pouches to hold the sugar syrup and cream. The beverage and condiment pouches all have a septum which allows access to their contents without allowing any of the liquid contents to escape.'"
I think I can spot the problem... (Score:5, Funny)
You put the Americans in charge of coffee?? I think I can spot the problem...
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So, can I, you're racist.
Re:I think I can spot the problem... (Score:5, Funny)
Putting Americans in charge of coffee? That's like putting the English in charge of tea.
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And here, kids, we have a perfect example for the use of the term 'non sequitur'.
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Not really. While English culture is strongly associated with tea, the stuff people usually drink is actually quite vile. Shockingly so, if like me you are a tea-loving German who moved to the UK.
Which undoubtedly is also the case with most of the coffee consumed in the states - if you actually genuinely love a good coffee.
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The Russians used a pencil! (Score:5, Funny)
Colonies built on the moon: 0
Hours spent designing perfect zero-g latte: 1000+
Human race == fucked
Re:The Russians used a pencil! (Score:4, Funny)
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You do realize that a colony on the moon would NOT be in a zero-g environment? The moon has a micro-gravity, which will cause spilled liquids to fall to the floor, where they can be mopped up, much as we mop up spills on earth.
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I think that was his point. These precious zero-g lattes will be WASTED on our non-existent moon colonies.
Re:The Russians used a pencil! (Score:4, Informative)
The point he was trying to make is that NASA are misdrecting their resources. Not that this coffee is meant for the moon.
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Customize? (Score:5, Insightful)
Given the expense of shipping people and supplies into orbit, and the fact that the people you are going to be shipping are generally known in advance, wouldn't it be substantially simpler just to ask them for their preferred beverage mixture and seal that in a single pouch?
This isn't some sort of commercial aviation scenario, where the catering supplier has to do an approximate match against the uncertain tastes of 250 random passengers, which makes modular food much more sensible; or an MRE-type scenario where they have to stamp out a zillion of them and ship them wherever, so it just isn't practical to ensure that Pvt. SomeGuy gets exactly the combination he wants assembled at the factory and supply-chained out to him at firebase nowhere 18 months from now...
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But but your method deprives some 18 yr olds from feeling like they just solved the world's most important problem.
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on the other hand, i can't imagine astronauts being so picky with their coffee. Or if drinking is a good idea, being an astronaut.
maybe my mind is still 50 years back.
Re:Customize? (Score:4, Interesting)
Or maybe you just have silly stereotypes about astronauts, and likely coffee.
So you think astronauts are not driven people who would gladly sacrifice their own body and long term health for the sake of the mission and being an astronaut? Do you really think coffee is that bad? I have worked in a major hospital and let me tell you....lots of Doctors and Nurses in that coffee line.
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Well you don't see a lot of them hanging around the smoking zone outside the hospital sucking down butts like the old nurses. Course I was out to diner with a number of doctors when one of them pointed at the fois gras one of them ordered and said "This is what your liver looks like after a good drinking binge" and the entire table shut up and looked shamefully down at their navels.... so yah they aren't that healthy.
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You're forgetting that this system will work for more than just coffee.
Re:Customize? (Score:5, Insightful)
Bingo!
Everyone seems to be hung up on coffee, as though that were the ONLY liquid that might ever need to be mixed with another ingredient in zero gravity.
Hello, everyone! The same methods used to add cream to coffee will likely work in scientific experiments, or mixing epoxy cements, or, preparing an acid solution, or - just about anything that requires two ingredients to be mixed.
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I'm not even a rare-occasion coffee drinker so I'm hardly an expert on the chemistry, but might this be a situation similar to, say, two-part epoxy materials, where the desired result occurs at the time two compounds are mixed and doing that mixing prematurely leads to unacceptable consequences? Would coffee taste quite right if the additives were added weeks or months in advance of consumption?
If the astronaut pool were large enough, it might be more cost effective to simply weed out those that had inconv
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Given the expense of shipping people and supplies into orbit, and the fact that the people you are going to be shipping are generally known in advance, wouldn't it be substantially simpler just to ask them for their preferred beverage mixture and seal that in a single pouch?
That's not what I was thinking. I was thinking, wouldn't it be substantially simpler just to ask them to tough it out for a while and drink black coffee? I've done deep field work and yes, it sucks, being without the comforts of home, but a few sacrifices need to be made. This one seems pretty darn tiny.
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Well, I for one have tastes that change from day to day. Almost every time I make my coffee (which is about 6 to 8 times a day), I change something around. It's not that I absolutely MUST have variations in my coffee. But there's little joy in having the same stuff over long periods of time.
But you do have a very valid point. They're on duty 24/7 in the ISS, and they knew what they were getting into well in advance. A rough blend in their preferred proportions would be a much better idea.
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I'm totally opposite. I tend to find a flavor and have no problem eating the same thing day in and day out. When I drink coffee, I prefer it black and without variations of sugar or cream.
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I hope you're only making coffee 6-8 times a day for yourself and not "experimenting" with the break room coffee.
And if you are making it only for yourself... that might be too much caffeine. How do you sleep at night?
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Yes, yes, for myself. :) Though this is when I'm not at work. The coffee at work is not what I'd call awesome, but it's not so bad that I don't touch the stuff.
I make my own coffee when I'm at home, so I was not counting the coffee at work, which is about 4 cups on a good day.. many more on a bad one.
My caffeine intake is through the roof, but it soothes my nerves. I've suffered from insomnia since I was 14, and it was a really bad experience till I started having coffee when I was about 19 (Till then,
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I generally drink the same concoction of syrup and carbonated water... been doing it for years. Usually out of a red and white aluminum can. Other than that, water, milk or black coffee. I assume they have more than just coffee available so I don't see why they can't pick a combination of sugars and cream for their coffee. I guess that's just me from the other posts here.
If I had mod points... (Score:1)
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As others have mentioned there are other applications for this method, but sticking to the Coffee demonstration premixing foods for consumption in space is a bit tricky. Things don't taste quite the same in zero G as they do in a gravity environment for most astronauts. While the basic parameters are fairly well know (less sugar than normal, more spices than normal, etc) tweaking it for individual tastes could be difficult. I believe the aspects of this also change depending on how long the astronaut is
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I had the same thought. I'm sure they pay out of the nose for these package, why not insist they be customized to the preferences of the astronauts going on the trip?
A good rule of them for going into a dangerous environment is to get as much shit done as you can outside of it. If things are so strange up there that it's best to precook all your food I think premixing your flavored beverages is worth the effort to.
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You're assuming space travel will never be commercialized.
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You're assuming space travel will never be commercialized.
That's because he's not a rabidly insane optimist/delusionist.
space coffee (Score:1)
Starbucks that even Starbuck would like?
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Starbucks that even Starbuck would like?
Starbucks are probably kicking thenselves for not thinking of this first.
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just educate the astronauts (Score:1)
Coffee is better black and strong, without any additional ingredient.
Otherwise it's not coffee, it's just sweetened water.
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Coffee is better black and strong, without any additional ingredient.
Otherwise it's not coffee, it's just sweetened water.
Coffee in any form is disgusting. 34 years and still can't stand it.
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Yes, if you like coffee drink it black so you can taste the coffee. If you don't like coffee why drink it at all? Adding milk and sugar to coffee just covers up the flavors of bad coffee. If you really want astronauts to drink good coffee, you need to figure out how to grind coffee beans in zero G, steep and filter them.
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I'll drink coffee however the fuck I want to. Humans discovered a long time ago that combining different ingredients makes things taste different.. and taste is subjective. Some people just don't like it black, some do.
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I'll drink coffee however the fuck I want to. Humans discovered a long time ago that combining different ingredients makes things taste different.. and taste is subjective. Some people just don't like it black, some do.
Some people never develop beyond childish tastes, you are absolutely right. Just keep out of the grownups' room if you can't handle black coffee, cigars and whisky, junior.
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Yes exactly! I've been arguing this for years. And it's not just coffee either. Every food should be eaten either in it's pure unmixed form, or not at all. Salt and ketchup on your fries? Guess you don't really like fries. Lemon aid? Why bother with the sugar, just drink lemon juice. Think you like salad? Not if you put dressing on it.
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I imagine grinding wouldn't be terribly hard. You couldn't use a gravity press, but pushing the beans against a grinder isn't all that difficult. Steeping can be handled with something like a French Press I would assume and filtering would be included in the press.
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If you like chocolate, eat it without sugar or milk. You need to taste the cocoa. Eat it raw or go home.
If you like vanilla, eat the bean straight; using it to *flavor* something else is stupid.
I like coffee. I like it with cream and sugar. I like the flavor of coffee. Yes, it does have a flavor; I don't like drinking cream and sugar alone. In fact, I like the coffee to be brewed very strongly so that when I add the cream and sugar to adjust the flavor, I still get a strong coffee flavor.
I can stand i
Let's see them do a Tea Ceremony in space (Score:4, Interesting)
Something I got a kick out of was when Michael Stackpole wrote out an elaborate Japanese Tea Ceremony in Zero-G in one of his BattleTech novels. He didn't have to, but it was great reading.
septum? (Score:2)
Am I the only one that is decidedly uncomfortable with drinking from anything with a septum?
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I don't think you will ever have to use this invention, so don't worry about it.
However, just in case you're a millionaire that's planning to pay for a ride on the ISS: septum is just a fancy word for partition.
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Lemon juice (Score:2)
a consistent complaint has been lousy coffee. [...] allows astronauts to add liquid ingredients (cream, sweetener, and lemon juice)
I almost choked reading up to this point... I recovered a little bit when I read further ;)
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Read further:
"to add liquid ingredients (cream, sweetener, and lemon juice) from a foil package to another that contains black coffee or tea."
The lemon part is for the tea. Just like you don't add cream to tea, lemon to coffee makes no sense.
Before my coffee addiction I used to add lemon to tea, it appears to be something eastern european.
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in London we like a spot of milk in our tea.
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Read further:
"to add liquid ingredients (cream, sweetener, and lemon juice) from a foil package to another that contains black coffee or tea."
Why was that fuss about the blink tag? Sometimes you seem to need it:
;)
:)
I recovered a little bit when I read further
No offense
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Apparently I didn't read that far into you post.
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I almost choked reading up to this point...
Once upon a time, I was making some coffee and I wanted it to have an edge and some sweetness. I mixed milk and lemon juice into the cup, stirred and took a big gulp. Nearly died choking. The acidity of the lemon juice curdled the milk, and it tasted like hot vomit. Never mix (real) dairy with acidic stuff like lemon juice.
On the bright side, if I ever need to make someone else lose a dare I'll know what to give them to drink.
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On the bright side, if I ever need to make someone else lose a dare I'll know what to give them to drink.
Try coffee with a spoon of salt instead of sugar (i.e. give them a "sugar bowl" filled with salt)
:D
Just be sure to film their faces
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Unless you want buttermilk, because that's what you just made. But keep buttermilk in the pancakes, not the coffee :)
Bad for you ... don't eat. (Score:1)
Sugar and cream are bad for you and ruin the taste of coffee.
I don't know what to say about lemon juice since it sounds terrible in coffee.
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No true astronaut puts sugar in his coffee.
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Sugar and cream are bad for you and ruin the taste of coffee. I don't know what to say about lemon juice since it sounds terrible in coffee.
Dude, coffee is bad for you too.
And as someone says above, you often get a twist of lemon with an espresso. .
missing the point (Score:1)
Now if only someone can figure out a method that allows astronauts to sip the coffee from an oversized mug, as God intended, they will really have accomplished something.
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Now if only someone can figure out a method that allows astronauts to sip the coffee from an oversized mug, as God intended, they will really have accomplished something.
Most astronauts aren't little girls trying to look cute.
Another Solution (Score:1)
I've got another solution that's long over due. How about...
Baristas...
In...
Space!
Someone should tell Chris Hadfield (Score:5, Informative)
"No spills in microgravity can be allowed, as these have a tendency to migrate into equipment and cause faults. "
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMtXfwk7PXg [youtube.com]
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New franchise locations? (Score:1)
Space Coffee (Score:2)
Just the thing to pour into my space mug and drink with my space breakfast while I read my space newspaper.
Space pen (Score:2)
(Saying this as an owner of a fisher space pen).
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I know that you're just making a joke, but it irks me when people laugh at the US for spending millions of dollars developing a pen that can be used in space.
The real story being that Paul Fisher (owner of Fisher) invented the pen on his own, then sold it to both the US and Russian space programs. Both programs preferred the pens to the risk of broken pencils or pencil shavings floating into crucial equipment.
Proper cup of coffee... (Score:2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-ia13f72-4 [youtube.com]
Black Coffee (Score:1)
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No one thought of this before? (Score:2)
Seriously? I know they say, everything seems obvious in hindsight, but they really couldn't figure out squeezing sugar and creamer from one pouch into another coffe pouch? These guys design space ships? Am I the only one who sees something wrong here?
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current astronauts are pussies, the ones of yore just drank the motor oil given to them and didnt whine about it
its 2013 we have to have fucking starbucks provided to the government or else the fembots get offended
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I don't understand this widespread sentiment that if you put anything in coffee it is no longer coffee. It certainly is still coffee, the same as a salad is still a salad even if you put dressing on it.
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Whisky. Brandy
That's it.
Simple approach to alleviating this problem (Score:2)
Stop drinking coffee!
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OK, here's my invention (Score:2)
3-chamber bag created w/that silvery plastic foil material, chambers created by a heat seal. Larger top compartment has black coffee (and pie-hole nozzle) and at the bottom, 2 small compartments side-by-side hold cream & sweetener. The top of each of the lower 2 chambers has a simple pressure-activated valve into the coffee chamber. You squeeze these to add desired amo
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The problem is weight. The coffee, creamer, and sweetener are all powdered, and weigh a fraction of their liquid versions. (Water on the space station is recycled, so you don't need to send additional water with every coffee pouch). Your three-way pouch would need additional ports for injecting water into the two extra compartments (the main coffee pouch, of course, already has a port). Also, the remaining sweetener or creamer isn't readily available - with the technique described above, the additives a
Eh... (Score:2)
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Drinking from a pouch is going to taste like crap regardless if it has no way for the aroma to escape. And there's something about holding a nice warm mug that makes it the morning comfort beverage.
I prefer a pair of boobs, but each to his own.
How to get coffee in space (Score:1)
Preference (Score:2)
Just give preference to people who drink plain black coffee.
Then I would have a better chance of qualifying for space travel.
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Just give preference to people who drink plain black coffee.
Then I would have a better chance of qualifying for space travel.
Yes, I'm sure that being able to drink black coffee will make all the difference.
yea coffee (Score:2)
That's the problem with a 30 year stagnate space program that cant even muster enough excitement to justify its existence anymore
You are floating above the Earth like Helios (Score:2)
But the coffee sucks.
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You are floating above the Earth like Helios riding a chariot of fire across the sky. The greeks would have believed you a god atop Olympus. The blue earth turns below you, so captivating in its beauty that generations have marveled at the blue marble. The night sky is so full of stars it is dizzying in its beauty. You are participating in mankind's first steps to becoming immortal among them.
Then the drugs wear off and you're a maintenance man on a rusty old tin can floating pointlessly in space.
This doesn't seem that difficult (Score:2)
I'm no zero G expert, but I would make my space coffee like this:
1) Normal Aeropress
2) tea bag coffee
3) sponge containing 500ml hot water
4) Travel mug, with attachment for aeropress, dump powdered sugar cream selection in to cup, attach press.
4) Insert sponge
5) Press.
No spill, no dripage, no cleanup other than wipe down of aeropress.
Why do we need science?
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Two problems: Weight and waste. As a composter, I'm fairly cognizant of the amount of coffee grounds produced for my own modest two mug a day habit. You not only need to deal with processing the used grounds, you also have to pay the cost of delivering them via rocketry - which makes overnight delivery options cheap in comparison.
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Absolutely true, but I don't see this being resolved.
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Please elaborate. The powdered pouch system leaves the coffee grounds on earth. The powdered coffee is not only a fraction of the weight of the original beans, it is also totally consumed.
Slightly off topic: My own coffee habit is based on my New Orleans roots; I was practically weaned on Bourbon and drip pot French Market coffee. I've switched to a 'normal' coffee maker, but I do have a French press which serves me well during power outages. I've never used an Aeropress, but it does look like an impro
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In Rodney Dangerfield's voice:
I've heard of coffee with a citrus overtone, but this is ridiculous!
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You like it black? Like your men?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tYLb3teB14 [youtube.com]
Now the only problem would be to fix that dangerous vacuum in space:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71ukAH6Ny80 [youtube.com]
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Quick, to the oxygen pumps!
We'll pump our atmosphere into space until it's not a vacuum anymore.