ISSpresso (pronounced I-S-S-PRESS-o) will be the first machine to bring espresso to space travelers aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
Samantha Cristoforetti will become the first Italian woman in space when she launches to the International Space Station. That mission, complete with ISSpresso, is scheduled to launch in November 2014. Her mission has been named Futura, a name selected by private space enthusiasts. Cristoforetti will be part of that future when she becomes the first person to make and drink an espresso in outer space.
Lavazza, an Italian coffee company, is one of the developers of the beverage maker. According to the company, many space travelers say one of the things they miss about Earth while they are in space is a good cup of coffee. They set out to make it possible to have a premium cup of java while in orbit.
When Cristoforetti arrives aboard the ISS, it will be the second long-term mission for the Italian Space Agency (ISA). The Air Force Captain will travel to the space station as a member of the European Space Agency (ESA).
"[ISSpresso] is the first capsule-based espresso system able to work in the extreme conditions of space, where the principles that regulate the fluid dynamics of liquids and mixtures are very different from those typical on Earth," Lavazza officials wrote in a press release.
Argotec, and Italian aerospace company, helped develop the new coffee maker. Researchers at the company have work creating good tasting, nutritious foods for space travel.
"Food provides an important psychological support and being able to enjoy a good Italian espresso may be just the right way to finish off the menu designed especially for each astronaut, helping him or her to feel closer to home," David Avino, Managing Director of Argotec, said [pdf].
A prototype of the space-age espresso machine is already in testing. Nearly every part of the device had to be redesigned to function in a microgravity environment.
A "corner cafe" will be available in the ISS once the ISSpresso machine arrives at the station. This will provide a place for space travelers to gather together and relax during down time.
Lavazza has been in business for almost 120 years, and has made coffee a focus throughout their history. Space travelers aboard the ISS will be able to get a "good, hot and steamy" cup of coffee aboard the orbiting outpost, once the new machine arrives, they claim.
In a Lavazza video announcing ISSpresso, the company called the development, "A scientific, engineering and flavouring challenge to offer space mission astronauts an authentic Italian espresso."
