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Corkscrew Cups Could Keep Space Drinks Flowing
holy_calamity writes "A Canadian chemical engineer has a novel solution to containing liquids in space. He has been experimenting with corkscrews of ribbon-like material that keep liquids suspended in their center while in microgravity. This effect is caused by the surface tension of the liquids. The helical containers allow the fluid to be sucked out of the coil in one go. In more conventional shapes, such as coffee cups, interaction between the container and the liquid's internal pressure makes the beverage break into annoying globules you have to chase with a straw."
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"In more conventional shapes, such as coffee cups, interaction between the container and the liquid's internal pressure makes the beverage break into annoying globules you have to chase with a straw."
Yes, but that's half the fun right there of going into space. The other is passing space gas.
And also begs the question, what shape would the corkscrew opener be for that? the shape of a bottle perhaps?
Stop it you're totally freaking me out man
Coffee in space?
Engineering is the art of compromise.
I believe it's called a Silly Straw. I have one sitting right next to my Tang.
__ Someday, but not this morning, I'll finally learn to use the preview button.
Nothing new here. However the application in space is. Here is something similar idea:
http://www.orientaltrading.com/application?origin=page.jsp&namespace=browse&event=link.itemDetails&categoryId=377320&BP=8109&sku=70%2F4498&cm_mmc=YHS-_-Party%20Supplies-_-Tableware-_-Disney%20Cars%20Crazy%20Straws
http://www.toyconnection.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=TC&Product_Code=STRAW&qts=google&qtk=crazy%20straws
http://www.jeffbots.com/r2d2cooler.html
Wouldn't a Capri Sun work just fine? Just a packet of liquid with no rigid structure which contracts to always contain the liquid...
Reminds me of that old (and false) joke about Americans spending a million dollars to invent a pen that can write in space, while the Russians used a pencil.
If you keep the liquid in a tube smaller than the globule it will break into, it won't break into a globule? Next thing, they'll be supplying these "astronauts" with "air" Brilliant!
"Teach a man to build a fire, and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life."
Surface tension arises from cohesion and not adhesion. The two types of liquids were probably chosen such that the cohesive forces in the experiment were similar to that for water in air. Adhesive forces may exist between the liquids, but should not affect the experiment. Cohesive forces can be calculated by measuring the angle of the meniscus (if the adhesive forces between the liquid and its container are known).
Just callin' it like I see it.
Sounds like a space-age beer bong
It means your "Strategically Engineering Anti-Gravity Humanoid Powered Suction Devices(TM)" are worth something, yes.
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It's really cool and clever... but how do you fill it on earth with all its delicious gravity? Unless you load it up *in* space, but that doesn't really solve the problem does it?
Bacteria love sponges. All that surface area means they'll hold water for a long time, and it's impossible to clean them properly.
"They redundantly repeated themselves over and over again incessantly without end ad infinitum" -- ibid.
This device would ruin all the fun.
As if we didn't have enough trouble with drunken diapered astronauts, now NASA's come up with a way to have martinis in space! They should have stuck with Jello Shots in a Tube, TangDrivers, and secretly fermenting raisins from their Space Lunches. Not to mention huffing escaping gas from the air conditioning system. Yes, these plain-vanilla pilots and scientists have a wild side. The dewy-eyed novices on all-male flights awarded their first "Member of 50-Mile High Club" patch. The ones with a secret tattoo of Richard Simmons on their lower back saying "Your Space Buddy!" The "NASA Says Save Water in Space, Shower With Your Co-Pilot" ecology program. Oh, the horror. Cover your eyes, children.
So the solution is to package the liquid in a long, flexible straw, and then coil the straw up into the shape of a cup.
Clever, clever!
(Of course, we have had a number of cases where we did extensive research, and when someone finally found a simple solution to a problem, everyone who saw it said "That's obvious." This happened with things like the zipper, barbed wire, and the paper clip, all of which took decades of experimenting before someone stumbled across the simple way to do it. Simple solutions to problems are often much more difficult to see than complex solution.)
Those who do study history are doomed to stand helplessly by while everyone else repeats it.
because when you squeeze the sponge, liquid droplets would fly EVERYWHERE! There's a lot of holes in a sponge you know. That would be a total disaster. You'd have water droplets flying around for weeks. As for the giant, ridiculously long straw idea proposed in the article, I don't see why you can't just float a sphere of water and take bites out of it like an orange. If you're really, really careful, it shouldn't fragment plus that'd be way mroe fun!
Google's Super Secret Search Algorithm: SELECT @search_results FROM internet WHERE @search_results = 'good'
two girls, a camera, soothing music, and a space ship.
Damn, I knew i should have invested more in marketing! Do have the number of a good PR rep?
Personally, I'm waiting for them to start cutting the corners off of our paper.
(The urban legend goes that the production company behind BSG liked the series, but thought that it was too expensive for what it was, and instructed the director to "cut some corners." Not being too happy with this, the director subsequently told his props manager to cut the corners off of every square and rectangular object he could find in his inventory. Oddly enough, this added to the "futuristic" appearance of the props)
-- If you try to fail and succeed, which have you done? - Uli's moose
...at least I think it's original.
I'm just stunned at someone coming up with a totally new way to do something simple (hold liquid) in a simple way (in a container of the right shape) based on a familiar principle (surface tension).
In a sense, the idea of using surface tension to hold fluids is not new--think of a sponge or a towel--but getting cup-like and pipe-like functionality is.
I've no doubt that if humans had evolved in zero gravity this would have been discovered back around the same time as clay pots and chipped flint arrowheads, but as it is they didn't.
It's nice to know there are still inventions to be invented that don't rely on a billion microchips and a million lines of code.
"How to Do Nothing," kids activities, back in print!
I'm gratified to see that Crazy Straw technology has evolved...in space!
"Look, Smithers! I'm Davy Crockett!"
Reminds me of a powerful suction effect, similar to a whirlpool or tornado...Similar principles?
Maybe not a cardboard juicebox, but more like a foil or plastic bag.... I was thinking the same thing.
This goes back to the millions of dollars spent researching and developing an ink pen that would write in zero G. The Russians laughed all the way to the pencil sharpener.