A bloody syringe and a floating ball of water? What bizarre horror film is being filmed here? None, the photo is of NASA astronaut Don Pettit‘s hobby laboratory. During his free time on the International Space Station (ISS), he enjoys experimenting with weightlessness. Here, for example, he is giving a floating ball of water new colors. The red liquid in the syringe is of course not blood, but food coloring.
Astronauts face major challenges in their everyday lives on the International Space Station (ISS). This is not only due to the cramped living and working situation in the orbital shared apartment, but above all to the weightlessness of space. For example, the astronauts have to make sure that work materials or dinner don’t just float away. When sleeping, belts prevent this fate from happening to the astronauts themselves.
Ball instead of drops
You can’t even shower on the ISS. Since there is no up and down, the water would not simply rain out of the shower head like on Earth, but would instead form a large, free-floating ball. In weightlessness, it is no longer gravity that affects the behavior of water, but rather its surface tension. This causes the water to contract into the geometric shape with the least surface area: a sphere.
For astronauts, this means that instead of showering, they have to wash with a damp cloth. But it also means, for example, that they can only drink from bags instead of ordinary glasses, have to use a special space toilet and cannot cry easily. In the latter case, the tears would simply stick to the eyeball instead of falling down, so you would have to actively wipe them away with your hand.
A mini Jupiter made from food coloring
For NASA astronaut Don Pettit, the special behavior of water in space is not only associated with inconveniences. He enjoys experimenting with it during his free time on board the ISS. His latest creation: a mini Jupiter made from a sphere of water into which he injected food coloring. In the photo above you can see him just adding a red hue to the mix.
For Pettit, experiments of this kind are part of the “science of opportunity” – in other words, research into anything that spontaneously comes to mind during his stay on the ISS. The astronaut has already announced new plans on
From shampoo to dressing
In the past, the astronauts on the ISS have experimented with the behavior of liquids officially and not just out of personal curiosity. These include, for example, weightlessness tests of shampoos, medication and salad dressings. They should help improve their properties. Space travel itself also benefits from the closer examination of liquids. After all, these are essential for the operation of various machines such as reactors for air and water purification.
What: NASA
31. October 2024 – Anna Manz
