Astronauts Forget About Gravity

You’ve probably seen the video of astronaut Tom Marshburn talking about readjusting to Earth’s gravity. More than a million people have; it became Internet-famous for how lame it is. Marshburn pretends to drop a cup, then a pen…. In space, of course, both would have floated. Best comment on reddit: “Flunked out of drama class, decided to become an astronaut.” But it’s the kind of thing astronauts do when they come back.

In 1998, astronaut Joe Edwards spent about a week in orbit as the pilot on a space shuttle mission. During a medical exam after his return, a flight surgeon brought him lemonade, and asked him to remove his shoes. Sure enough, as he reached down to take his shoes off, Edwards released the paper cup (then spent a few minutes wiping up).

The best micro-G videos are shot in space. Astronaut Chris Hadfield got more then 12 million views just for wringing out a wet washcloth. That video went viral because what you see is not what you’d expect. Find the link at airspacemag.com/washcloth.