Astronauts living in space have already demonstrated strange ways of consuming food and liquids. But now NASA seems to have decoded a more realistic coffee experience with the recently introduced futuristic Space Cup. According to a NASA announcement, these space cups are specially designed mugs that use the concept of fluid dynamics to simulate the effects of gravity in space. The promotional video shows how astronaut Nicole Mann pours coffee from a bag into a space cup. Later, we see that even when he turns the glass upside down, the liquid does not spill out of the mug.

The show is part of NASA’s Capillary Flow Experiment, and the agency has been working on futuristic space technology for over a decade. His patent, published in 2011, is shared by astronaut Don Pettit with mathematicians Paul Konkus and Robert Finns.

The agency says the specially designed cup “uses the combined effects of surface tension, wetting, and vessel geometry” instead of gravity, allowing astronauts to drink liquids with ease. To do this, they just have to rest their mouths on the narrow top of the Space Container and the coffee will automatically enter their mouth by capillary action.

Some common examples of antigravity capillary action are how water moves upward along the tissue paper when placed on the surface, or how water moves upward from plants from their roots. NASA hopes this Capillary Beverage research will make it easier to drink alcohol in microgravity and reduce the weight and size of liquid packages sent into space.

If we talk about the drinks offered in the venue, these are water, fruit juice, tea, coffee, cocoa and others. Part of the experiment is observing the consumption of these fluids. However, NASA believes the Space Cup design may also have potential applications in medical research and drug delivery on Earth.