K-Cups Enter a New Frontier: Outer Space

Astronaut coffee gets an upgrade

People on Earth may be sick of K-cups, but now the coffee pods have entered a whole new frontier: space. Astronauts can now enjoy a fresh-brewed cup of coffee while hanging out at zero-gravity thanks to an enterprising Ph.D candidate at Oregon's Portland State University, reports Oregon Live.

Until now, astronauts have typically been relegated to mixing freeze-dried coffee with hot water and sipping it from a plastic pouch to get their caffeine fix — serviceable, but certainly not the ideal way to wake up in the morning. Thankfully, PSU engineer Drew Wollman has devised a simple system that brews single-serve coffee pods directly into a cup. Popular Science explains how it works: "Screw on a large syringe filled with hot water, force the water over the grounds and through a filter, and fresh coffee flows directly into the cup."

The cup, a welcome alternative to the usual plastic pouches, was first introduced to the International Space Station last year, but Wollman's modifications make it an all-in-one coffee brewing and drinking system. You know, just in case there's a long line forming at the space station's espresso machine.

Watch astronaut Kjell Lindgren utilize the new coffee-brewing contraption at zero gravity in a video from NASA, below:

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