Our favorite ‘Star Trek’ fan tweets her coffee break from space
The astronauts on the International Space Station are essentially amazing. Not only are they, you know, aboard the International Space Station but they’re also incredibly generous about sharing their experiences through social media. We love it. Astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti was just recently dubbed our she-ro of the week for being the first female Italian astronaut in space(!), and a Star Trek fan who dresses in costume aboard the ISS. Now she’s caught our attention again, for drinking the very first espresso in space—and tweeting about it.
Cristoforetti posted a photo to her Twitter account on Sunday, wherein she looks to be enjoying a pretty amazing view as she sips on a cup of espresso, donning her Starfleet uniform again like the true Star Trek fan she is. And of course, she drops a Trek quote in her tweet for good measure. Can we hang when you get back to Earth, Sam?
The espresso machine, a joint project between the Italian Space Agency, engineering organization Argotec, and coffee company Lavazza, has been nicknamed the “ISSpresso” after the acronym for the International Space Station. It first arrived in April, and can do more than brew espresso for those space explorers that don’t necessarily need a big jolt of caffeine. According to NASA, this microgravity brew-maker can also make tea, broth, or other hot liquids. The neat thing about the ISSpresso is that it’s a lot heavier than your average espresso maker, so it’s able to withstand the atmospheric pressure that occurs in space. They worked hard on this bad boy.
Also, did we mention this is the first espresso machine in space? Previously, astronauts drank hot liquids (not espresso) out of straws due to the zero gravity sitch, but this machine also has space-ready espresso cups so they can sip their caffeine in style. Not a bad for an intergalactic coffee break.
[Featured image via.]