14 DAY TRIAL // Depending on how that idea from Swedish artist Mikael Genberg is viewed, NASA could put a house on the moon in a matter of years. That means that astronauts could follow not long after. An actual neighborhood could be made in the mid-term. But there's no such thing as life without some style, and the martini glass aims to provide some.
Sure, people landed on the moon decades ago, but it's one thing to survive and another to actually live, if you know what we mean. Man can last only so long in a space suit, without something to, well, live in, and with.
The 3D printed house, small as it is, will be the first step. You can't exactly make a living without, well, a place to live in. On the flip side, just one house is not enough, not matter how colorful.
To truly make life bearable on Earth's sole satellite, astronauts will need food and, perhaps just as importantly, ways to pass the time.
In theory, transmitting TV programs or the Internet to the moon is doable. That leaves sustenance and things to do when you're not up for any of the other two.
Food will probably consist of normal astronaut rations for a while, although 3D printed foods might catch on quicker. 3D printing will probably find use in another area though: that of objects/accessories that will enrich the “atmosphere.”
And so we arrive at today's order of business: the 3D printed martini glass. It's white, it's light, and it has an odd, ball-shaped base. Before you start laughing, keep in mind that making a glass that will work on the moon, and the rest of space, isn't as easy as it sounds.
Liquid, everything really, tends to float away at the tiniest change in motion, and we all know how twitchy us people can be. And as fun as it is to float around trying to catch little peas and water/scotch drops, it can get old and frustrating after a while.
The 3D printed martini glass from Cosmic Lifestyle Corporation is part of the Zero Gravity Cocktail Project and has a series of ridges that exploit a liquid's natural capillary action, plus some aimed towards the top edge of the glass. They will keep the drink steady, but will allow it to “flow” in the direction you want when you tip the glass, even when gravity is low or absent.
Paired with the “Drinkbot” (also from Cosmic Lifestyle Corporation), the new glass will let you toast your fellow earthlings whenever you wish, even all the way from space.