Can Cosmonauts Drink in Open Space?

Imagine floating above Earth, stars twinkling beyond your visor, and suddenly—you’re thirsty. But you’re in a spacesuit. In the vacuum of space. So… how do you take a sip? Is drinking in open space even possible?

Let’s dive into this wonderfully weird question.

First, What Is Open Space?

“Open space” means the environment outside the spacecraft—literally spacewalk territory. Cosmonauts doing an EVA (extravehicular activity) are in full gear: helmet, pressurized suit, oxygen supply, and layers of insulation. It’s hostile out there—no air, extreme temperatures, and no gravity.

So, cracking open a bottle of water like it’s a sunny day in the park? Not happening.

So… Can They Drink Out There?

Surprisingly, yes. Kind of. But not in the way we imagine.

Spacesuits used for spacewalks (like the Russian Orlan or NASA’s EMU) are equipped with a drink bag—basically a small pouch of water tucked inside the suit, with a straw that sticks up near the astronaut’s mouth.

It’s the equivalent of a cosmic Capri Sun. No bubbles. No backwash. Just pure hydration in a vacuum-sealed pouch.

But once a cosmonaut is outside the spacecraft, they can’t refill it. So they better hydrate before stepping out—or they’ll be thinking about water the whole time they’re fixing solar panels 400 km above Earth.

What Happens If You Try to Drink Outside the Suit?

Let’s say someone tried the unthinkable: taking off their helmet to gulp some space juice.

Bad idea.

Within seconds, all the water (and the cosmonaut) would start to boil and freeze simultaneously, thanks to the lack of pressure. That “sip” would turn into a space horror movie. Your saliva would boil, your blood would bubble, and you’d pass out in under 15 seconds.

So yeah—don’t try that.

Could Future Suits Have Fancy Drink Tech?

Maybe! As we look toward longer moon missions and Mars exploration, there’s a push to make spacesuits more comfortable for long EVAs—possibly with better hydration systems, flavor packs, or even energy gels in space-safe formats.

One idea on the drawing board: a “hydration helmet” that could dispense water or nutrients on command, possibly activated by voice or a squeeze of the jaw.

Think Iron Man meets a CamelBak.

Fun Fact: Russians Prefer Tea in Space

In the Russian segment of the ISS, cosmonauts can request a drink called чай с лимоном—lemon tea! While they obviously can’t take it outside on a spacewalk, it’s a fan favorite once they’re back inside the station.

Bonus points: they drink it from a pouch using a straw, just like everything else up there.

Final Verdict

Can cosmonauts drink in open space? Yes—but only through their suit’s straw-based drink bag. Anything else would be deadly, messy, and the stuff of sci-fi disaster films.

So next time you take a sip of water on solid ground, be grateful—you didn’t need a $12-million suit just to drink it.

Want more space curiosities? Stick around Cosmic Watchers—where the sky is not the limit, it’s just the beginning.