Astronaut shows off the 'strange behavior' of honey in space
Topics: Space, Science, Food and Drink
Jess Hardiman
Featured Image Credit: Canadian Space Agency / YouTube
Topics: Space, Science, Food and Drink
An astronaut has shown off the ‘strange behaviour’ of honey in space, leaving YouTubers stunned at how ‘magical’ a zero-gravity environment is.
Find out what happens to gloopy honey when there's no gravity in this video from CSA astronaut David Saint-Jacques:
Mucking about in space is a pipe dream that few of us will ever get to experience, but thankfully those that make it up there are more than happy to give us a little insight to what it’s like - such as Mike Massimino, who explained how a good sneeze or fart could propel you forwards or backwards, admitting that it was arguably easier said than done, but wasn’t impossible.
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And back in December 2018, Canadian Space Agency astronaut David Saint-Jacques travelled to the International Space Station, returning the following year in June.
During his 204 days in space – the longest Canadian mission to date – the CSA said he conducted science experiments and technology demonstrations, while also supporting critical operations and maintenance activities such as robotics and spacewalks.
“Like many other astronauts, he shared his experience through taking pictures and videos,” the CSA said.
“From space, he also connected with young people across Canada, encouraging them to appreciate the beauty and fragility of our planet, and sparking their interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.”
And this includes an incredible video that showed what happens to honey when there’s no gravity.
In the clip, Saint-Jaques removes the lid from a plastic pot of honey, saying: “So let’s show you the strange behaviour of honey in zero-G.”
As he opens it up and pulls the pot apart, the honey remains connected to both the container and the lid.
He then lets go of the pot, which floats in the air before slowly starting to curl backwards.
“It curls back,” he says with a smile, adding: “Strange things happen when you remove gravity.”
Many other people were equally amazed by the scenes, with one commenting on the YouTube video: “Man, low gravity is so magical.”
Someone else said: “Full respect for this guy as he went to space, took some honey with him, and showed all of us non-astronauts what honey behaves like in zero gravity.”
While another joked: “This takes ‘playing with your food’ to a whole new level.”
A fourth wrote: “This shows even trained astronauts who have been to space dozens of times are still just as fascinated as we down here are.”
While a fifth added: “His smile throughout the whole time just shows he's truly fascinated as well.”