Motion Control

{videobox}nZYsOG60dKQ{/videobox}

The Zero Gravity Coffee Cup

Drinking coffee in space is surprisingly tricky. Physics professor Mark Weislogel of Portland State University and colleagues have researched the strange behavior of fluids onboard the International Space Station and invented a zero-g coffee cup. Basically, one side of the cup has a sharp interior corner. In the microgravity environment of the space station, capillary forces send fluid flowing along the channel right into the lips of the drinker. "As you sip, more fluid keeps coming, and you can enjoy your coffee in a weightless environment - clear down to the last drop," says astronaut Don Pettit. "This may well be what future space colonists use when they want to have a celebration."