Watch an Astronaut Get “Stuck” in Microgravity, Left Floating in Space

modern met janvier 25, 2023

Watch an Astronaut Get “Stuck” in Microgravity, Left Floating in Space

Astronauts go through all sorts of training to prepare for what it will be like in space. This includes experiencing microgravity, aka mirco-g. Moving around in it is challenging. If you need any idea of just how challenging, check out this short video of an astronaut who doesn't have access to handles or supports. Without something to grip onto and propel himself around, he’s momentarily stuck floating in mid-air.

Microgravity is sometimes called zero gravity, but they are not the same. Micro means very small, and so microgravity indicates, according to NASA, “the condition in which people or objects appear to be weightless.” This is what we refer to when seeing objects and people floating in space.

Just because the astronaut didn’t have an object to propel himself with doesn’t mean that he was permanently suspended, as demonstrated in the video. (Remember, there was some gravity in the room.) Breathing was one way to inch himself out of his predicament. “Relax,” one Redditor explained, “blow a big breath out. Newton's laws mean you will move. Repeat until enough momentum is gained. Or push the air around you as if you were swimming. Problem solved. This guy isn't stuck.”

Watch the mesmerizing video, below.