What is impossible to do in space. What not to do in space (9 photos)

“Space is not far from us, just an hour’s drive if your car can go up,” said British astronomer Fred Hoyle. So, you have such a car. So, you're in orbit. Now forget everything you took for granted on Earth. In space you can't just take and...

But stop. Not in outer space, of course, but on the ISS. In airless space without a spacesuit, you will not last even a couple of minutes. First, your lungs and digestive tract will be filled with expanding gases (due to the fact that there is no external pressure in space) located inside the body. This will cause the lungs to burst, the water on the mucous membranes of the eyes, mouth and nose will quickly boil and evaporate, and gas bubbles will enter the circulatory system. Solar radiation will leave burns on the skin. And then banal suffocation sets in. And then the blood begins to boil... Well, okay, you’re on the ISS. Everything is fine. But there are a lot of “no’s” there too. Apart from the obvious - walking, standing, lying down - you can’t walk in space...

See the twinkling stars

Everything is simple here. As the “universal man” Leonardo da Vinci said, “the blue of the sky is due to the thickness of illuminated particles of air, which is located between the Earth and the blackness above.” For the same reason, stars do not twinkle in space. Because of the “thickness of air particles,” that is, the atmosphere. Looking through it at the stars is about the same as looking through water. The water moves, so the stars begin to “quiver.” But the air in our atmosphere is in continuous movement, and even of different densities, but in space there is no air. But no, there is no flicker.

Write with a ballpoint pen

Have you ever wondered why the pen stops writing on the wall or ceiling? Of course, this is due to the fact that the ink does not reach the tiny ball at the end of the rod. A regular pen needs gravity to push the ink to the base of the pen so you can write. But what do they write with in orbit? Soviet cosmonauts wrote with wax pencils (graphite rods could break off and become a threat to equipment and the respiratory system of people). American astronauts used felt-tip pens.

There is a famous legend that NASA allocated $1 million to create a pen that can write in the absence of gravity. It is not true. The “Zero Gravity Pen,” or Space Pen, was indeed developed (and is now actively used on the ISS), but not by NASA, but by the American inventor and entrepreneur Paul Fisher. And more than $1 million was actually spent on its creation, but from the businessman’s personal funds. The ink in the “space pen” is contained in a special cartridge under compressed nitrogen pressure. And they can write, according to the developers, not only in zero gravity, but also under water, on wet and greasy paper, at any angle and at extreme temperatures. The price of such a pen for the Apollo program (the same one when the Americans flew to the Moon) was $6.

Boil the kettle

In the “earthly” sense of the word. Let's remember the school physics course. The higher we rise, the lower the boiling point of water. It's all about atmospheric pressure. At the top of the mountain it will be less than at its foot. Therefore, in the absence of pressure, as in space, water will boil almost instantly (and only then the particles of its steam will freeze, since it is very cold in space). But on the ISS, pressure (and temperature, of course) is created artificially (without it, the astronauts would simply die), although not the same as on Earth, but it is still possible to boil water with it. It will boil at 85 °C. But not all of it.

In boiling, not only pressure is important, but also convection - simply mixing the liquid when heated (due to gravity). There is no convection on the ISS (including air convection, which is why powerful fans work there; otherwise, the astronauts would be forced to inhale the air they just exhaled and would soon simply suffocate), so water in zero gravity begins to boil only in the place heating, and the rest remains cold. Therefore, a special “smart” kettle is installed on the ISS. The most expensive in the world.

Find out the exact time

According to Einstein's theory of relativity. Don't be alarmed. It's simple. There is no gravity in orbit (or rather, it exists, but very little - a complete absence of gravity is possible only in distant space, where there are no large planets or stars nearby). But the ISS itself rotates around the Earth at a breakneck speed of 7.9 km/s. And based on the theory of relativity, gravity and high speed change the flow of time, slowing it down. There is no need to delve into it. Just accept it as a fact - time flows differently on the ISS and on Earth. Faster on Earth, slower on the ISS. For a split second. What nonsense? If the astronaut stayed in orbit for a couple of months. But if he returns from a trip to another star, he will not even find his great-grandchildren on Earth - by that time they will already be dead.

Put on perfume

It is simply prohibited to take them on the ISS. And that's why. In space, the sense of smell and taste changes. It doesn’t have to be much, and it’s different for everyone. But mostly towards a blander taste and a sharper smell. That is, the borscht will be somehow unsalted, and the smell of roses will be somehow very pungent. First of all, because in conditions of weightlessness, more blood accumulates in the upper part of the body than occurs on Earth. Because of this, the olfactory and taste receptors fail. The taste is weaker, so the ISS is supplied with a lot of all kinds of hot sauces and seasonings. Olfactory - on the contrary. So no perfumes or colognes.

By the way, space itself has an aroma. Despite all its vacuum, in which, as is known, odors do not spread (but the vacuum is far from empty, there is a certain number of atoms in it). They say it resembles the smell of either a fried steak or welding. And the Moon smells like gunpowder smoke.

Give up sports

No load - muscles atrophy. Full program. Our body is lazy, in a state of weightlessness it very quickly gets used to the fact that everything is “easy and simple”. You don’t have to worry about walking: just swim among countless wires and buttons. Therefore, at one time, after returning to the “Vale of Tears,” the cosmonauts could not even walk for some time - their muscles were so weakened. Today, their regime includes daily and mandatory physical exercise. And still, after the flight they don’t feel like a cucumber at all.

Sneeze

Of course you can. But with other consequences. More serious than on Earth. If you sneeze heavily in conditions of weightlessness, a reactive effect will be created that will spin the person and then there is a high risk of getting hit on the back of the head by a “wall”, “ceiling” or “floor” (none of these concepts exist on the ISS, of course).

By the way, for the same reason we do not recommend that you shoot in space (not on the ISS, where this will primarily lead to depressurization of the station, but in airless space). Remember Newton's third law. The force acting on the bullet will equally exert a reaction force on the gun in your hands. And that means on you too. But in space there are almost no atoms holding back your movement in the opposite direction. So get ready to be carried in this very direction. Although at a speed much slower than a bullet (you still weigh a lot more). And yes, the bullet will move forever. And you too. Because, as astronomer Matija Cook says: “The universe is expanding faster than a bullet.”

Look at the flames for a long time

For example, you can light a match on the ISS (if you do not take into account the ban on “smuggling” of such things). But it will burn differently. In zero gravity, hot air does not tend to rise, so the flame of a match will not be elongated, as on Earth, but round, like a swimming cap. Also, due to the lack of gravity, the processes of transition of combustion particles from an area of high temperature to areas of lower temperature will not occur, so the match will quickly go out.

eand new ones appear monthly astronautics news, allowing you to learn more and more about space. And it becomes clear that in outer space everything is completely different. What can't you do in it?

1. Man is not capable of living in airless space. That is why he is in space only at special stations. The human body simply cannot cope with cosmic loads. At the same time, even while at the station, you cannot walk, lie or stand on it.

2. Write with a ballpoint pen. You won't be able to write anything with a ballpoint pen in space. The thing is that it requires gravity to work. What to do? Russian cosmonauts use wax pencils, Americans use felt-tip pens.

3. Find out the time. Since the high speed of rotation of the ISS and gravity change time, it is impossible to know how much time it actually is. Time moves a little slower on the ISS. It would seem that there is nothing terrible about this. But if an astronaut has spent months in space, the difference is significant.

4. Don't play sports. If you do exercises and strength exercises in space, the muscles quickly atrophy. The human body quickly gets used to the fact that there is no need to strain. As a result, some astronauts, when returning to the planet, are not immediately able to walk.

5. Sneeze. No, of course you will sneeze, but the consequences will be disastrous. You will get spun, and you will definitely hit your head with a wall or something else.

6. Watch the flame for a long time. You can light a match, but it will burn completely differently than on our planet. Its flame will form a “cap”, and the combustion process itself will not last long.

7. Look at the twinkling stars. In space they do not flicker due to the thickness of the atmosphere. Looking at the stars through it is like looking at them through water. They will tremble, but not flicker.

8. Put on perfume. Of course, this can be done, but the smell will be very pungent. As for taste, it's quite the opposite; food in space seems unsalted, which is why the ISS is supplied with a large amount of condiments. Space itself also has a smell, astronautics news they said it smelled like grilled steak. And the Moon smells like gunpowder smoke.

9. Boil the kettle. It is impossible to do this in space itself, since in the absence of pressure water boils instantly. And then it also freezes instantly, because it is very cold in space. On the ISS, the atmosphere is created artificially, so the kettle on it will boil, but at a temperature of 85 degrees, and not all of it. There is no convection on the ISS either, so fans operate there. If they weren't there, the astronauts would simply suffocate.

Here on earth we are grateful that, thanks to the force of gravity, we and all the objects around us are held firmly to the ground without flying away. But when we go up several hundred kilometers, everything changes.

10) Shower

If the astronauts took a regular shower, like on earth, then there would be water everywhere. The space station would then be in chaos. Instead of a regular shower, astronauts use special liquid soap and water, which are mixed in a special container. After squeezing a few drops out of the container, the astronauts wash themselves with a towel, which they use to wipe their body.

9) Body position

While in space, any person is faced with the problem of fixing his body in a certain position. For example, if you want to sit down, you need to be fastened with a special harness, because otherwise you will float away through the air. Also, in addition to this, you need to fasten the chair itself on which you want to sit.

8) Play board games

Many astronauts dream of playing board games in their free time to take their mind off the stress of work.

But this is practically impossible, since in order to play most games you need to roll table dice. But if you throw them, then due to the lack of attraction they will not fall onto the game board.

7) Washing things

Just like the problem with the shower, in space it is almost impossible to wash things in the usual way. This is of course due to the fact that the water can break up into balls, which will fly throughout the station. The same thing can happen with powder, which does not dissolve and fills the space on the ship.

6) Find out when to go to the toilet

Due to the lack of gravity, you won't know when you need to go to the toilet. The fact is that, despite the filling of your bladder, your body will not feel that it is time for you to run to the toilet.

5) Walk in zero gravity

Do you know what the hardest thing to do in space is? Of course, walk. For example, astronauts often need to actually walk with their feet (in outer space). That is why astronauts spend a long time training for this underwater, where the environment is very similar to outer space.

Try walking on the bottom of the lake. An unprepared person is unlikely to be able to do this. But if you train for a long time and learn a special technique, you will be able to imitate walking. But, despite long training, it is very difficult to do this.

4) Cooking

What difficulties do you think astronauts face when it comes to nutrition? They consume food prepared by experts on earth. Unfortunately, in space you cannot mix any ingredients yourself and cook food to your liking. Plus, you won't be able to put food on the table easily.

3) Component repair

Do you know how funny it looks like the process of unscrewing fasteners in some component of the space station, in case of necessary repairs.

To do this, you need a special tool that adjusts and locks at the very moment when, for example, some fastening washer is ready to fall from the fastener. The fact is that if you drop any fastener, it can very quickly fly into a secluded corner of the station.

Finding the missing part will be almost impossible. In addition, the missing part may get into some components of the station and damage the equipment.

2) How astronauts go to the toilet

Due to the lack of gravity in space, astronauts use special vacuum equipment to go to the toilet, which simulates gravity, which helps astronauts go to the toilet. In the photo you can see the space toilet used by astronauts at the international station ISS.

1) How to wash your hair in space

As we have already noted, taking a shower, as we do on earth in space, is unrealistic. If astronauts wash themselves with a towel, then how do they wash their hair? See the solution in the video from the ISS.

April 14th, 2016

“Space is not far from us, just an hour’s drive if your car can go up,” said British astronomer Fred Hoyle.

We have already asked ourselves the question, is it possible, and did you know that in space you can’t just take and...

See the twinkling stars

Write with a ballpoint pen

Space Pen (Russian space-pen - “space pen”, also known as Zero Gravity Pen - “zero-gravity pen”) is a ballpoint pen created and sold by Fisher Spacepen Co., in which the ink is contained in a special cartridge under pressure

Have you ever wondered why the pen stops writing on the wall or ceiling? Of course, this is due to the fact that the ink does not reach the tiny ball at the end of the rod. A regular pen needs gravity to push the ink to the base of the pen so you can write. But what do they write with in orbit? Soviet cosmonauts wrote with wax pencils (graphite rods could break off and become a threat to equipment and the respiratory system of people). American astronauts used felt-tip pens.

Boil the kettle

Expedition 31 to the ISS. European Space Agency astronaut Andre Kuipers, a flight engineer, plays with water in space. September 20, 2012

Find out the exact time

Expedition 40 to the ISS. Flight engineer Oleg Artemyev shared a photo of the various timing devices he uses in orbit

Put on perfume

Festive feast on the ISS in honor of crew changes

Give up sports

Astronaut Suni Williams works on the first treadmill installed on the ISS

No load - muscles atrophy. Full program. Our body is lazy, in a state of weightlessness it very quickly gets used to the fact that everything is “easy and simple”. You don’t have to worry about walking: just swim among countless wires and buttons. Therefore, at one time, after returning to the “vale of tears,” the cosmonauts could not even walk for some time - their muscles were so weakened. Today, their regimen includes daily and mandatory physical exercise. And still, after the flight they don’t feel like a cucumber at all.

Of course you can. But with other consequences. More serious than on Earth. If you sneeze heavily in conditions of weightlessness, a reactive effect will be created that will spin the person and then there is a high risk of getting hit in the back of the head by a “wall”, “ceiling” or “floor” (none of these concepts exist on the ISS, of course).

Candle flame on Earth and in zero gravity