Spaceman shows how astronauts drink coffee on space station

By Dean Murray

An astronaut has shown how you drink a cup of coffee - in space.

NASA spaceman Don Pettit demonstrated the tricky task of sipping from a special mug in microgravity on the International Space Station (ISS).

Hilarious scenes shared today (March 27) see him let the cup float before him, before leaning in to take a slurp.

Don commented: "Having a sip O’joe in the morning; nothing beats the zero-g cup for morning coffee."

Space fans had questions, with one asking "Does it taste and smell the same at zero-g?"

Responding from the orbital outpost 260 miles above Earth, Don wrote: "The zero-g cup allows one to smell your coffee, something you can’t do when sipping through a straw from a bag; the smell is probably 70% of the coffee pleasure."

Another social media user commented: "We’re told by our parents not to play with our food… But I think we can make an exception for Zero-G!"

Don responded, "In space, you can play with your food and call it science."

The Zero-G cup, or capillary cup, was actually designed by Pettit for use on the Space Station.

It works in microgravity by using an angled channel and capillary action to guide liquid from the cup's base to its lip, allowing astronauts to sip beverages as they would on Earth.

It was developed from the astronaut's desire to drink water without a bag and straw in outer space.

Don previously said: "We take gravity for granted. Generally, we are unaware of the weight of our hands, or how easily we pour coffee into a cup. We don’t stop to think, ‘Will the coffee rise up and pour out?’ or ‘Can we pour the coffee?’ We just do it."