Astronaut demonstrates the result of squeezing a wet towel in space: video goes viral
A retired Canadian astronaut, Chris Hadfield, is wringing a wet towel and experimenting on the International Space Station, video of which has gone viral.
FollowScience plays an essential role in society because scientific knowledge helps fulfil basic needs and enhance living standards. Have you ever imagined how water behaves in space if one squeezes a wet towel?
One such video resurfaced on social media, revealing what happens if you wrench a damp towel in space. Retired Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield initially shared this video in 2013.
Recently, Twitter user Wonder Of Science shared the video on their handle with the caption, "This is what happens when you wring out a wet towel while floating in space."
In the video, astronaut Chris Hadfield squeezes the towel in Space. However, instead of water dropping on the ground, it creates “a tube” around the towel. Because of zero gravity, water clung to the towel while you floated in space.
According to the caption of the second video in the thread, the experiment was conducted on the International Space Station. During the experimentation, astronaut Chris Hadfield utilised a water bag. The moment one squeezes a towel, water flows down to the ground. However, in the absence of gravity, the water formed a tube over the washcloth and ultimately over his hands as he held the towel. Because of water surface tension, the video shows moisture molecules stick together unhampered by gravity, creating a liquid gel.
After being shared online, the video accumulated over 6.3 million views and 257K likes. The viral video grabbed netizens' attention who also expressed their opinions in the comments section. A user wrote, "I still don't understand why the droplets always makes a sphere and not any shape.... like ameoba." Another person commented, "Is that safe with all those wires around there?" Watch the video.
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