Incredible Demonstration of Fluid Dynamics in Zero-G

By Nancy Atkinson - April 18, 2013 at 4:49 PM UTC | Physics

The first thing I want to know is where we can get the cool, compacted NASA washcloths. But this new video from Chris Hadfield, commander of the International Space Station is pretty amazing. Hadfield has been working with schools and doing experiments suggested by students. This one was designed by students Kendra Lemke and Meredith Faulkner (10th grade) from Lockview High School in Fall River, Nova Scotia . They won a national science contest held by the Canadian Space Agency with their experiment on surface tension in space using a wet washcloth, and you can see the really nifty results here.

Below is another water-themed demonstration from Hadfield, how to wash your hands in space:

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson is a space journalist and author with a passion for telling the stories of people involved in space exploration and astronomy. She is currently retired from daily writing, but worked at Universe Today for 20 years as a writer and editor. She also contributed articles to The Planetary Society, Ad Astra (National Space Society), New Scientist and many other online outlets.

Her 2019 book, "Eight Years to the Moon: The History of the Apollo Missions,” shares the untold stories of engineers and scientists who worked behind the scenes to make the Apollo program so successful, despite the daunting odds against it. Her first book “Incredible Stories From Space: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Missions Changing Our View of the Cosmos” (2016) tells the stories of 37 scientists and engineers that work on several current NASA robotic missions to explore the solar system and beyond.

Nancy is also a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador, and through this program, she has the opportunity to share her passion of space and astronomy with children and adults through presentations and programs. Nancy's personal website is nancyatkinson.com