“The space we are close, just an hour’s drive if your car is able to go up,” said British astronomer Fred Hoyle. So, you have such a machine. So, you are in orbit. Now forget everything you’ve taken for granted on Earth…
But wait. Not in outer space, of course, on the ISS. In the airless space without a suit you will not last a couple of minutes. First your lungs and digestive tract will fill the expanding gases (due to the fact that in space there is no external pressure) inside the body. From this burst of light, the water on the mucous membranes of the eyes, mouth and nose quickly boils and evaporates, and bubbles of gas will get into the circulatory system.
Solar radiation will leave burns on the skin. And now we are faced with the banal and suffocation. And then the blood boiling… Well, okay, you’re on the ISS. All is well. But a lot of their “no.”
Besides the obvious — to walk, stand, lie — in space is impossible…
To see the twinkle of the stars
It’s simple. As they said “universal man” by Leonardo da Vinci, “the blue of the sky is due to thicker particles of illuminated air which lies between the Earth and located at the top of black”. For the same reason in space do not twinkle star. Because of the “thickness of the air particles”, I mean the atmosphere.
Look through it at the stars — about the same as looking through water. Water moves, so the stars begin to “tremble”. But the air in our atmosphere is in constant motion, and even different density, and in space no air no. And on no flicker not.
To write with a pen
Have you ever wondered why the pen stops writing on the wall or ceiling? It is clear from the fact that the ink does not arrive to a tiny ball on the end of the rod. A conventional knob to set the desired force of gravity, which will “push” the ink to the base of the handle and you will be able to write. But what they write in orbit?
Soviet cosmonauts wrote with wax pencils (graphite could break off and become a threat to equipment and respiratory system of people). U.S. astronauts used the markers.
There is a famous legend that NASA has allocated $1 million to create a pen capable of writing in the absence of gravity. It is not true. “Zero gravity pen”, or Space Pen was actually developed (and is actively used today on the ISS), but not of NASA and American inventor and entrepreneur Paul Fisher. And it really took more than $1 million, but from personal funds of the businessman.
Ink in the “space pen” are stored in the cartridge under the pressure of compressed nitrogen. And can write, according to the developers, not only in microgravity, but also under water, on wet and greasy paper, at any angle and in extreme temperatures. The price of such pens for the Apollo program (the one when the Americans flew to the moon) was $6.
To boil the kettle
In the worldly sense of the word. Remember the school course of physics. The higher we climb, the lower the boiling point of water. It’s all in the pressure of the atmosphere. On top of the mountain it is less, than at its foot. Therefore, in the absence of pressure in space, water boils almost instantly (and then freeze particles of its vapor, as in space is very cold).
But on the ISS pressure (and temperature, of course) create a artificial (but without it would the astronauts just died), however, is not the same as on Earth, but to boil water when it is still possible. It boils at 85 °C. But not all.
The boiling is important not only pressure, but also convection is simply the mixing of the liquid when heated (due to gravity).
On the ISS there is no convection (including air convection, so there are powerful fans; otherwise, the astronauts would be forced to breathe the air just exhaled, and soon would basically suffocated), so the water in zero gravity begins to boil only in place of heating, and the rest remain cold. Therefore, the ISS has a special “smart” kettle. The most expensive in the world.
To know the exact time
According to the theory of relativity. Do not be alarmed. It’s simple. In orbit there is no gravity (or rather, it is, but quite small — the complete absence of attractive forces is possible only in deep space where there are no major planets and stars). But the ISS orbits the Earth at breakneck speed is 7.9 km/s. And based on the theory of relativity, gravity and speed change over time, slowing it down.
No need to delve. Just take it as fact — time on the ISS and on Earth runs differently. On the Ground faster, slower on the ISS. For fractions of seconds. What nonsense? If an astronaut stayed in orbit for a couple of months. But if he came back from a trip to another star, you will not find on Earth even his great-grandchildren — by that time they’re already dead.
To perfumed spirits
On the ISS are not allowed to take them. And here’s why. In space changes the sense of smell and taste. Not necessarily strong, and all different. But mostly towards a more fresh taste and smell more acute. That is, the soup will be salty, and the smell of roses with some very sharp.
Primarily because in weightlessness in the upper part of the body collects more blood than it does on Earth. Because of this, olfactory and gustatory receptors give a “fail”. Taste is weaker, therefore on the ISS put a lot of spicy sauces and seasonings. Olfactory Vice versa. So no perfumes and colognes.
By the way, the fragrance is and space itself. Despite all of your vacuum in which, as you know, smell does not apply (but the vacuum is not empty, a certain number of atoms in it is still there). They say he looks like not the smell of fried steak, not welding. And the Moon smells like gunpowder burning.
Throw sport
No stress — atrophy the muscles. For the full program. Our body lazily, in a state of weightlessness, it very quickly gets used to the fact that all “easy”. Don’t need to bother to walk:go with yourself among countless wires and buttons. Therefore, at the time after returning to the “Vale of tears” astronauts for some time could not even walk were so weakened their muscles.
Today in their regime daily and compulsory exercise. And anyway after the flight, they feel not the cucumber.
Sneeze
Of course, you can. But with other consequences. More serious than on Earth. If you sneeze in zero gravity — creates a jet effect which will spin the person and then the risk to get on the back “wall”, “ceiling” or “floor” (any of these concepts to the ISS, of course not).
By the way, for the same reason it is not recommended to shoot in space (at the ISS, where it will lead first of all to a decompression station, and in a vacuum).
Remember Newton’s third law. The force acting on the bullet, equally will have a reaction force on the gun is in your hands. And hence you. But in space there is almost no atoms hindering your movement in the opposite direction.
So be prepared that you will incur in this way. Though at a much slower bullet (after all, you weigh a lot more). And Yes, the bullet will move forever. And you, too. Because, says astronomer Matija cook: “the universe is expanding faster than a bullet”.
I stare at the flames
To light, for example, a match on the ISS can (if not to consider a ban on “contraband” such things). But to burn it would be different. In weightlessness, the hot air goes upwards, so the flame of a match will not elongated as on the Ground, and rounded, like a swimming cap.
And due to the lack of gravity will not occur the process of transition of particles from the combustion region of high temperature to areas with lower, so the match quickly goes out.
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