Can Astronauts Cry In Space?
Can Astronauts Cry In Space?
We all shed tears, whether or not we acknowledge it. However, according to astronaut Chris Hadfield, tears in microgravity "form as a liquid ball and do not fall." Essentially, astronauts cannot cry in the traditional sense. Although a fluid substance may emerge from their eyes, it doesn't stream down their face like it does on Earth. Instead, they end up with a peculiar collection of damp globs that hover around their eyes, rather than having thick tears rolling down their cheeks. Thanks to Chris Hadfield's explanation, we now know what this strange phenomenon looks like.
Why Cant Astronauts Cry In Space?
On Earth, liquids conform to the shape of their container, whether it's a vast lake or a glass of iced tea, due to the influence of gravity. However, in space, liquids assume a spherical shape when not constrained. Surface tension, which results from the attraction of molecules at the surface, causes liquids to contract and take the form of the smallest possible shape, which is a sphere. Since gravity is absent in space, the liquids do not flow downward, and their molecules gather together into a compact sphere.
Other challenges of crying in Space
During one of his planned spacewalks, American astronaut Andrew Feustel encountered an issue when a speck of anti-fogging solution entered his eye after five hours of floating around outside the International Space Station. Imagine being stuck in your spacesuit, surrounded by a void, and unable to rub your eye due to your helmet. That was the predicament he found himself in. Fortunately, he was able to use a small sponge affixed inside his helmet, typically used for plugging the nose during pressure readjustment procedures, to rub his eye. If the sponge had not been present, it's difficult to imagine how long he would have been stranded out there with a large teardrop impeding his vision.
