--- title: Microgravity Coffee Space Cups Used on ISS Will Provide Fluid Data description: Specially designed Space Cups aboard the International Space Station will provide data on how complex fluids move in zero gravity canonical: https://time.com/3844967/international-space-station-coffee-cups-espresso-data-fluid-systems-science/ author: Helen Regan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-05-04T09:14:03.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:59:18.097Z article:section: Science og:title: Astronauts Now Enjoy Espresso Out of Special Cups og:description: The drinking vessels also provide data on fluid physics. og:url: https://time.com/3844967/international-space-station-coffee-cups-espresso-data-fluid-systems-science/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltad8bc62a0ecf8b60/6987ee23cd1bba7cb56f9461/capillary-beverage2.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Six Space Cups as delivered to NASA January, 2015 for the Capillary Effects of Drinking in the Microgravity Environment (Capillary Beverage) investigation. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Astronauts Now Enjoy Espresso Out of Special Cups twitter:description: The drinking vessels also provide data on fluid physics. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltad8bc62a0ecf8b60/6987ee23cd1bba7cb56f9461/capillary-beverage2.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Here's How Coffee Cups in Space Could Help Save Lives on Earth ## Video: A Year in Space: The Mission [Watch (HLS stream): A Year in Space: The Mission](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/gEqrnCPI.m3u8) (3:59)  _Published 2015-03-24. On March 28, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly begins a historic year in Space. Time follows Kelly and his twin brother, Mark, as they work the test the boundaries of long-term space travel._ by [Helen Regan](https://time.com/author/helen-regan/) ## Helen Regan May 4, 2015 9:14 AM UTC  Six Space Cups as delivered to NASA January, 2015 for the Capillary Effects of Drinking in the Microgravity Environment (Capillary Beverage) investigation. Six Space Cups as delivered to NASA January, 2015 for the Capillary Effects of Drinking in the Microgravity Environment (Capillary Beverage) investigation.Image courtesy of Andrew Wollman/NASA by [Helen Regan](https://time.com/author/helen-regan/) ## Helen Regan May 4, 2015 9:14 AM UTC Astronauts aboard the International Space Station can now enjoy a much-needed hot cup of joe with their very own espresso machine and six specially designed [microgravity](https://blogs.nasa.gov/ISS%5FScience%5FBlog/2015/05/01/space-station-espresso-cups-strong-coffee-yields-stronger-science/?linkId=13932446) coffee cups. But NASA says these Space Cups will do a lot more than lift espresso to an astronaut’s lips. They will also provide scientists with data on how complex fluids (such as coffee or tea with sugar) move in zero gravity, writes Mark Weislogel, professor at Portland State University and former senior aerospace engineer for NASA working on microgravity fluid physics. [**MORE: See the Trailer for TIME’s Unprecedented New Series: A Year in Space**](http://time.com/space-nasa-scott-kelly-mission/) Before the invention of the Space Cup, astronauts would have a drink by sucking liquid out of a bag. The new coffee cups (which are transparent 3-D-printed jugs) have a sharp inner corner that allows the liquid to be pushed along the inside of the cup — a process called capillary flow — towards the drinker’s lips. By experimenting with capillary fluid physics in small containers like cups, scientists believe it will help them build better and safer advanced fluid systems that are relied on in space, including oxygen supply, water coolants, air conditioners, toilets and fuel and recycling systems. But NASA says the data collected in the study can also be applied to fluid systems on earth, like improving portable medical diagnostic devices used to quickly test blood for infectious diseases in remote areas of the world. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3844967/international-space-station-coffee-cups-espresso-data-fluid-systems-science/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3844967/international-space-station-coffee-cups-espresso-data-fluid-systems-science/"},"headline":"Here's How Coffee Cups in Space Could Help Save Lives on Earth","datePublished":"2015-05-04T09:14:03.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:59:18.097Z","description":"The so-called Space Cups can reveal much about fluid physics","url":"https://time.com/3844967/international-space-station-coffee-cups-espresso-data-fluid-systems-science/","keywords":["A Year In Space","Space","NASA","Science topic","Research","international space station"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltad8bc62a0ecf8b60/6987ee23cd1bba7cb56f9461/capillary-beverage2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Helen Regan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/helen-regan/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltad8bc62a0ecf8b60/6987ee23cd1bba7cb56f9461/capillary-beverage2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Six Space Cups as delivered to NASA January, 2015 for the Capillary Effects of Drinking in the Microgravity Environment (Capillary Beverage) investigation.","caption":"Six Space Cups as delivered to NASA January, 2015 for the Capillary Effects of Drinking in the Microgravity Environment (Capillary Beverage) investigation.","creditText":"Image courtesy of Andrew Wollman/NASA","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/science/","name":"Science"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/a-year-in-space/","name":"A Year In Space"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3844967/international-space-station-coffee-cups-espresso-data-fluid-systems-science/","name":"Here's How Coffee Cups in Space Could Help Save Lives on Earth"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"A Year in Space: The Mission","description":"On March 28, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly begins a historic year in Space. Time follows Kelly and his twin brother, Mark, as they work the test the boundaries of long-term space travel.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/gEqrnCPI/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-03-24T14:30:40.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/gEqrnCPI.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3844967/international-space-station-coffee-cups-espresso-data-fluid-systems-science/","duration":"PT3M59S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3844967/international-space-station-coffee-cups-espresso-data-fluid-systems-science/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```