Bursting with Excitement – A Look at Bubbles and Fluids in Space
NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg watches a water bubble float freely between her and the camera, showing her image refracted in the droplet.
Media Credit: NASA
Watching a bubble float effortlessly through the International Space Station may be mesmerizing and beautiful to witness, but that same bubble is also teaching researchers about how fluids behave differently in microgravityThe condition of perceived weightlessness created when an object is in free fall, for example when an object is in orbital motion. Microgravity alters many observable phenomena within the physical and life sciences, allowing scientists to study things in ways not possible on Earth. The International Space Station provides access to a persistent microgravity environment. than they do on Earth. Understanding how fluids react could lead to improved designs on fuel tanks, water systems and other fluid-based systems for space travel, as well as back on Earth.