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November 17, 2000

Strange But True!

  • A weekly column of incidental information, off-the-wall observations and other random facts about the world.
    • By BILL SONES AND RICH SONES, PH.D.
    Special to the Journal

    Q. Most of us would love a shot at riding in a space shuttle and experiencing weightlessness. What's it like "pulling zero g's"?

    A. You'll feel light as a feather, able to turn triple somersaults, reports former astronaut Sally Ride in "Fundamentals of Physics," by David Halliday et al. But if a prankster comes up from behind and stops you dead in midair, you'll be stuck there until someone lends a nudge. Try turning a screwdriver and unless you're well anchored, the screw won't turn but you'll wind up spinning in space.

    You can spill your milk and it'll just form a ball and float up into the room; tilt your spoon, even "drop" it, and the soup will stay put owing to surface tension. Leave a straw inside a drink and the liquid will climb right on through, ballooning at the opening--the reason space straws come equipped with pinch-off tips.

    In zero-g (free fall actually), body fluids won't drain to your feet but will drift up to your head, puffing up your face. Also, expect to grow an inch taller temporarily due to the absence of compressive forces on the spine.

    You'll never know if you're rightside up or upside down. "Astronauts feel the same whether their feet are pointed toward the Earth or toward the stars."

    Q. On an early space mission astronauts went into mysterious sneezing fits. Were they allergic to the artificial air inside the capsule, or was the culprit aftershave, to which the cooped up riders were allergic?

    A. Neither. In the environment of weightlessness, myriad tiny hairs from electric shavers floated unseen about the cabin and into nasal passages and lungs, says Keith Lockett in "Physics in the Real World." On subsequent flights, shavers were fitted with small vacuum cleaners to suck up whiskers. Conventional shaving cream and safety razor work even better, a beard works best. "Another reason for having women astronauts?"


    Have any STRANGE comments or questions? Send comments to Matt Brown or brothers Bill and Rich at strangetrue@compuserve.com


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