surface tension in space
Entry posted by jfrachioni
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recently, ive been interested in space exploration. not so much exploring stuff, but specifically life aboard the international space station. As one can imagine, everyday tasks we think little about on earth can be pretty complicated without gravity. on earth, we dont have much expirience with surface tension because gravity tends to have far more of an affect on liquids. In space, however, the absence of gravity results in surface tension being much more noticeable, and extremely useful. because the space station is filled with equiptment that is expensive and necissary, yet vulnerable to water, the fact that water likes to stick to itself is useful because when astronauts clean, drink or in general when water is floating about, the water contains itself and doesn't go flying into the nearest piece of machinery. even with simple tasks, like eating lunch, astronauts will sometimes take advantage of water tension to keep an object in place; placing a dab of water on the bottom of a can and placing it on the table to keep it from floating off.
in the picture, you see a blob of free floating water in space, with an air bubble chilling inside, just because it can. 
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