Have you ever wondered how astronauts drink in space? If you’re curious about this topic you’ve probably seen demonstrations like the one by Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques who showed how liquids instead of dripping like they do on Earth float in a liquid “cloud” in zero gravity. Astronauts can stick a straw into this cloud and suck up the liquid or even drink it straight from the air — hands-free!
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 The Action Lab | 2024-04-12 15:00:21 |  3,108,344 Views |
How does the Space Cup work?
Unfortunately NASA sees this as a safety hazard and understandably so. Floating water droplets could potentially damage critical electronics. As a result astronauts have traditionally relied on plastic bags with suction straws to consume their beverages — a functional but hardly enjoyable solution.
Still the official X (formerly known as Twitter) account of the International Space Station (ISS) research division once shared a video of astronaut Nicole Mann drinking a cappuccino from an oddly shaped cup in space. The cup—called a capillary cup—is an experimental “space cup” designed specifically for use in zero gravity allowing astronauts to freely drink from an open container just as they would on Earth without worrying about spilling anything. The science behind this ingenious cup is exactly what you’d expect from the brilliant minds at NASA.
So how does this space cup work? The secret according to the cup’s patent lies in a cleverly designed channel that runs along the inner wall of the cup from the base to the rim. This channel formed by a sharp angle uses the power of capillary action — the same phenomenon that allows trees to draw water up from their roots — to give the user a semi-natural drinking experience even in the absence of gravity.
