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955

Italia has a space agency? TIL.

Archive: https://archive.today/HwfB3

From the post:

>The Italian space agency’s official technical report on designing the ISSpresso barely masks their astronauts’ horror at the conditions they found when they first drifted aboard the International Space Station. The Americans were up there drinking instant coffee, like animali. After two years, four prototypes, and a great deal of paperwork, Lavazza and the Italian space agency sent a proper espresso machine to the ISS in 2015. On Earth, a basic Lavazza espresso maker costs about $150 and weighs 3.5 kilograms. The coffee machine’s spaceborne cousin was a 20kg box about the size of an oven. The cost to build it was not disclosed, but was likely in the single-digit millions

Italia has a space agency? TIL. Archive: https://archive.today/HwfB3 From the post: >>The Italian space agency’s official technical report on designing the ISSpresso barely masks their astronauts’ horror at the conditions they found when they first drifted aboard the International Space Station. The Americans were up there drinking instant coffee, like animali. After two years, four prototypes, and a great deal of paperwork, Lavazza and the Italian space agency sent a proper espresso machine to the ISS in 2015. On Earth, a basic Lavazza espresso maker costs about $150 and weighs 3.5 kilograms. The coffee machine’s spaceborne cousin was a 20kg box about the size of an oven. The cost to build it was not disclosed, but was likely in the single-digit millions
[–] • 2 pts

I can appreciate the desire for a good space based cup of espresso, but actually implementing it? Wow - Lavazza is definitely committed!

[–] • 1 pt

The cost to build it was not disclosed, but was likely in the single-digit millions

I don't mind if Lavazza actually paid for it.

[–] • 1 pt

single-digit millions

In today's hyper-schizoid environment of criminality, self-enrichment and graft, this magnitude won't even get you to the starting line. Granted putting an espresso maker in space seems like unneeded extravagance, but there will be parallel uses for some of the technology. In the context of $1K toilet seats, it seems less unreasonable. But I doubt if Lavazza paid the entire bill. The best we can hope for is to view one of their astronauts sipping a shot from a specially designed space cup - here you go! (nature.com)

[–] • 1 pt

Oy Mammmamia Vey, we did it, goys!