Space Coffee Machine and its Crazy Express

If one day, you suddenly receive a coffee machine from the express delivery, it must be a surprise, and if you happen to be "floating" on the International Space Station, it will be absolutely incredible. But it did happen. On April 15, the Dragon spacecraft successfully sent a coffee machine to the International Space Station. As a result, Italian female astronaut Samantha Kristofretti became the first person to use a coffee machine in space.

Someone must be wondering, if you replace this coffee machine with another "payload", could you do more space experiments? For example, by replacing the coffee machine with fuel, the spacecraft may extend its life, or even win an extra chance to bring the dead back to life in a state of emergency. However, there is no if. The reason is simple-some astronauts said that what they miss most in space is a good cup of coffee.

Behind this seemingly entertaining event, what we feel is a strong sense of humanity. at the same time, it is also testing people's view of science.

Once upon a time, our attitude towards scientific exploration, in addition to being connected with "greatness", was often shrouded in grief-the hardship of search, the bitterness of failure, the pain of life that we had to endure in the pursuit of truth, and the joy of success. always fleeting like spray. We do not realize that in the process of creating scientific heroes, we have unwittingly completed the demonization of scientific exploration. After all, the purpose of science is to bring people happiness, not pain. Similarly, countless explorers devote themselves to science not because they have a penchant for suffering, but because they can enjoy the happiness brought about by scientific challenges in the process.

Camus, a French writer, told the world that Sisyphus enjoyed happiness all the time in the process of conquering the summit. This kind of happiness is pure, because it breaks away from the utilitarian "success" and "failure", interprets "gain" and "loss" from another angle, and never gets cold feet for fear of failure.

In fact, Crazy Express, which is responsible for sending coffee machines into space, has conducted a more challenging experiment. After putting the Dragon into orbit, the US SpaceX Falcon 9 carrier rocket, which undertook the launch mission, also tried to return the main body of the rocket and landed vertically on a recycling platform the size of a football field in the Atlantic Ocean. The difficulty of this technology is vividly likened to "making a rubber broom stand upright on the palm of the hand in the strong wind". Once this test is successful, the cost of the rocket will be reduced to the current 1/10.

This is the second time Falcon 9 has tried such an experiment, and it is still "a little short" after all. In the midst of regret, Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX, wrote calmly: "it looks like Falcon landed well." Indeed, you know, just two or three years ago, a recoverable rocket was considered a fantasy. Musk also announced that the new trial will start again in two months.

Elon Musk seems to be using his actions to verify the famous saying of Ulrich Baker, a contemporary German sociologist: "I take risks, so I am." And it is his adventure that is not afraid of failure that has made him the best electric car in the world, Tesla, and is also making his incredible Falcon 9.

On the road of scientific exploration, failure is not terrible, what is terrible is the fear of failure.

It's the same with life.

(source: Guangming Daily)