Samantha Cristoforetti’s first espresso sip in space boldly took coffee where it has never been before. Of course, in order to celebrate this meant the Italian astronaut needed to create another Star Trek selfie to celebrate having the so-called ISSpresso espresso machine installed on the International Space Station.
In a related report by the Inquisitr , it is debatable whether or not NASA’s “warp drive” engine test really did produce space-time distortions in order to generate reactionless thrust, but unfortunately, even more Star Trek -like inventions are required in order to prevent a manned Mars mission like Mars One from suffering from brain damage and blindness.
The ISSpresso has been a long time coming, and Samantha Cristoforetti’s first espresso wishes had her pining for coffee in space for almost a whole year. The ISSpresso was approved for use by NASA and was delivered to the ISS with 20 coffee capsules. The ISSpresso coffee machine weighs 44 pounds and resembles a microwave machine.
Tubes deliver the liquid coffee in special packets, since coffee cups would be extremely messy in the International Space Station (sorry, Captain Picard, no dainty cup of earl gray for you). However, the plastic tubes will be replaced with steel, so that the whole espresso system won’t experience too much wear and tear.
Argotec spokesperson Antonio Pilello says the installment of the space espresso machine is a great and vital improvement in the ISS, and Lavazza, the Italian coffee manufacturer, reinforced that message on Twitter.
“Today the International Space Station feels a little more like home,” Lavazza tweeted.
We are sure anyone who needs to zap their energy levels to warp speed would agree. Based upon Samantha Cristoforetti’s first espresso photo, she definitely does agree, and her message on Twitter made this loud and clear.
“Coffee: the finest organic suspension ever devised,” Cristoforetti tweeted. “Fresh espresso in the new Zero-G cup! To boldly brew… ”
The SpaceX Dragon will be bringing up a regular supply of space coffee in order to keep the ISS crew happy. This last Star Trek selfie was almost Cristoforetti’s last chance, since she will be returning to Earth next weekend, although the good news is that she will have access to endless supplies of coffee once again.
#ISSpresso . Today at 12:44 GMT @AstroSamantha enjoyed the first espresso ever brewed in space @Lavazza @ASI_spazio pic.twitter.com/2mgYrlcdWJ
— argotec (@argotec_it) May 3, 2015