See fruit punch attack a NASA astronaut's face in space
NASA astronaut Jack Fischer shows what happens when you blow air into a bottle full of red liquid. Spoiler alert: it's messy.
Tropical punch attack! Not having gravity means a mess if you spill your drink...but also makes the station a great place for @ISS_Research. pic.twitter.com/ooenwPaCCb
— Jack Fischer (@Astro2fish) August 11, 2017
Liquids behave very differently in microgravity than they do down on Earth. NASA astronaut Jack Fischer demonstrated a particularly odd and entertaining property of tropical punch in a video showing how to make a wet mess while floating around the International Space Station.
Fischer used a repurposed condiment bottle with a makeshift "NASA rocks" label. He filled it with tropical punch, placed a straw into the opening and blew air in to displace the liquid.
On Earth, the punch would have spewed out and dropped down under the power of gravity. In space, it turns into what looks like a giant gum bubble, clinging to Fischer's face and covering his mouth, nose and eyes. Fischer finally pops the bubble with a towel and it explodes into small floating punch globules.
The video, which Fischer posted on Friday, is fun, but's also a fascinating lesson about how liquids react without the pull of gravity to keep them in line.
