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The International Space Station (Finally) Gets an Espresso Machine
coondoggie writes NASA this week will be sending its first espresso making machine into space, letting astronauts onboard the International Space Station brew coffee, tea or other hot beverages for those long space days. Making espresso in space is no small feat, as heating the water to the right temperature – 208F – and generating enough pressure to make the brew are critical in the brewing process. And then getting it into a “cup,” well that’s nearly impossible in gravity-free space. NASA, the Italian space agency ASI, aerospace firm Argotec, and coffee company Lavazza have come up with en experimental machine that will deliver the espresso into what basically amounts to a sippy pouch.
You're confusing boiling point with temperature.
No, I don't think he is, but I think maybe you don't understand the relation between boiling point and easily achievable temperature. You put water in a pot and apply heat. That heat then makes its way to the water, heating the water. Once the water reaches it's boiling point, it vaporizes, leaving the pot. Once it's outside of the pot, it's EXTREMELY difficult for you to add more heat to it. Thus if your boiling point is X, it's pretty much impossible to get the water to a temperature greater than X under typical circumstances.
Thus, in him asking "Can you get to 208 degrees F at the internal pressure at which the space station is maintained", the implied question is "does the space station have an atmospheric pressure that results in a water boiling point of 208 degrees F or greater?"