Posts: 54355 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 01-09-2009 12:08 AM
During STS-126 last November, mission specialist Don Pettit devised a cup that took advantage of its special shape and surface tension such that it was perfect for use in microgravity.
He demonstrated the cup's use by sipping coffee during a video that he then narrated for mission control.
collectSPACE uploaded Pettit's video to YouTube (as above), where for a few days, it was the top viewed Science and Technology video on that site. Since then, the video has been watched nearly half a million times. (On Dec. 1, 2008, Pepsi included the clip in its daily round-up of viral videos.)
Hoping I might have a chance to chat with Pettit after Thursday night's STS-126 crew post-flight briefing at Space Center Houston, I decided to create a replica of his cup.
As Pettit describes in the video, the plastic for the cup was taken from the cover of a flight data file, so I stopped by an office supply store and purchased a report cover. In orbit, Kapton polymide tape was used to hold the cup together. Despite my best effort, I was unable to find a local store that stocks Kapton, so another 3M product, Scotch tape was substituted (if I ever come across a few strips of Kapton, I will use it to cover the clear tape).
The crew briefing included a mission highlights video, which briefly featured the cup. Afterward, I was able to catch up with Pettit and show him the recreated cup. He looked it over, commenting that it was a tad bigger than those he made in orbit but that its shape was correct.
I was curious as to how he built his, as without the benefit of a table (and gravity), I couldn't imagine being able to attach the base to the walls. It turned out, he didn't need to: he fabricated his cup from one piece of plastic (whereas mine was two), hinging the base on one side.
As he autographed the cup (at my request), he mentioned that National Geographic contacted him to write an article about the cup, and that he built one for them. (Now, why didn't I think of that?)
Before parting ways, he also shared that he had kept the cups that he built in space.
music_space Member
Posts: 1194 From: Canada Registered: Jul 2001
posted 01-09-2009 08:39 AM
When I saw the video originally, I thought that someone should a) manufacture replicas and b) manufacture build-it-yourself educational kits, intended for the memorabilia market,
Now that the video turned viral, I definitely think so!
Mr Meek Member
Posts: 353 From: Chattanooga, TN Registered: Dec 2007
posted 01-09-2009 08:46 AM
Ah, so this is the 1:1 space vessel. Well played.
ejectr Member
Posts: 2039 From: Killingly, CT Registered: Mar 2002
posted 01-09-2009 09:30 AM
Good luck trying to forge THAT autograph!
xlsteve Member
Posts: 397 From: Holbrook MA, USA Registered: Jul 2008
posted 01-09-2009 10:28 AM
That’s pretty cool, Robert. I passed the clip on to my wife when it was posted here to show her students. I think this might be a neat project for her to do with the class the next time she covers space.
music_space Member
Posts: 1194 From: Canada Registered: Jul 2001
posted 01-10-2009 11:06 AM
To make a practical demonstration, one could try to somewhat demonstrate, even in 0-g, the fluid dynamics at work here. Find a suitable edible liquid with more viscosity than water - a syrup, or a diluted Jello receipe, and make a smaller model of the cup, so the capillarity action could be seen.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 54355 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
This inventive coffee cup concept came to Donald Pettit’s mind, who is an astronaut, during the mission STS-126. Instead of using a straw to drink his morning coffee inside a heated aluminum bag, Donald created a cup that could hold liquid in zero gravitation. Travis Baldwin tried to offer his service as a designer to assist him in developing his idea into a real product.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 54355 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
The company that put the "cup" in the first space cup of coffee now wants to put one in your hands.
IRPI, the makers of the specially-designed "Space Cups" now being used on the International Space Station, have launched a crowdfunding campaign to commercially make the capillary-flow containers. The Oregon-based R&D firm is seeking at least $50,000 to give everyone the chance to drink like an astronaut.
"There are currently six of these cups on Earth," remarked Mark Weislogel, lead for the "Capillary Effects of Drinking in the Microgravity Environment" study. "The other six are in space."
Want one?
David C Member
Posts: 1465 From: Lausanne Registered: Apr 2012
posted 05-10-2015 05:14 AM
I've signed up, good luck.
music_space Member
Posts: 1194 From: Canada Registered: Jul 2001
posted 05-10-2015 06:57 AM
Robert, you wrote "Perks (get it?)"
I'm afraid I don't!...
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 54355 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 05-10-2015 09:47 AM
François, it is play on words: Perks can mean both a benefit, as in the rewards being offered for supporting the campaign, or to percolate, as in making coffee.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 54355 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 06-13-2015 01:49 PM
With just over a day left to go and it only being 65 percent funded ($33,000), it doesn't seem like the Space Cups Kickstarter will be successful. IRPI however, says it plans to proceed with production.
We want to thank all of our backers once again for your support. While we may not make this final push (although there's still a bit of time!) we are determined to make this cup happen! As we work to make progress we'll keep all of you posted so that no matter what happens here, you'll be able to buy a cup eventually.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 54355 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
Move over Tang, there is a new way to drink like the astronauts.
The public can now sip their beverages, powdered orange drink or otherwise, from the same style of "Space Cup" as used aboard the International Space Station. The specially shaped fluid containers are now commercially available via Spaceware, a newly-launched side venture by the Oregon-based firm that developed the cups used in orbit.
ejectr Member
Posts: 2039 From: Killingly, CT Registered: Mar 2002
posted 01-02-2017 10:59 AM
Does this design have anything to do with Pettit and his cup experiments?
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 54355 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 01-02-2017 11:13 AM
Yes, Don Pettit collaborated with IRPI's Mark Weislogel to develop the initial design seen in space in 2008. It was from that design that the current cups evolved.
mode1charlie Member
Posts: 1491 From: Honolulu, HI Registered: Sep 2010
posted 01-02-2017 01:38 PM
Do we have any idea if these cups are practical in a 1g environment?
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 54355 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 01-02-2017 01:42 PM
According to IRPI, the flight-fidelity cup is meant more as a display piece than a functional container in 1G.
The porcelain cup is usable (I have one here) but its an odd drinking experience (mostly because of the cup's lips, but they are needed in zero-g and 1G to guide the liquid into your mouth).
lspooz Member
Posts: 488 From: Greensboro, NC USA Registered: Aug 2012
posted 01-02-2017 08:42 PM
For all the patch collectors, there's also a $5.95 patch at their site.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 54355 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 06-02-2017 01:12 PM
From Spaceware:
We have a little bit of bad news... Our manufacturer has increased our production costs and thus we're in a bit of a predicament. To put it simply, we have to increase the price of the Space Cup.
That said, there's some good news. We're going to wait until we sell out of our current batch before increasing the prices. If you were holding out, now is the time to pull the trigger. Maybe you have a dad or grad who'd appreciate a unique gift (hint hint).
Oh, and to sweeten the deal a bit, and as a little thank you, we'll include an official patch with every cup order from now on. Seems like the right thing to do.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 54355 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 04-02-2025 09:26 PM
Don Pettit has returned to the International Space Station and brought with him the latest version of his zero-g coffee cup:
Having a sip O'joe in the morning; nothing beats the zero-g cup for morning coffee.
posted 01-09-2009 12:08 AM
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