Feb 28, 2025 09:01 AM IST
Astronaut Don Pettit, aboard the International Space Station, shared a video showing charged water drops orbiting a knitting needle.
Don Pettit’s social media feed is packed with videos and images from the International Space Station (ISS), where he is currently posted. These visuals not only give a glimpse of the world that lies beyond our earth but also show various experiments conducted on the ISS that can help in future space travel. Recently, the NASA astronaut posted an exciting video that shows water drops dancing around a needle.
“Having an Uber Geek moment on orbit; I took a Teflon knitting needle and got charged water drops to orbit around it,” Pettit posted along with a video. He also shared an image that captures overlapping frames from the clip. He wrote, “This image made by overlapping frames from my video showing a time history of the drop orbits. Big thanks to Christian Getteau and NASA for making this,” while posting the visual.
What is the experiment all about?
According to a NASA report, Pettit charges the needle by rubbing it against a paper. He then “released charged water from a Teflon syringe and observed the water droplets orbit the knitting needle.” The space agency added that this kind of observation could prove helpful when designing spacecraft systems in the future.
Take a look at the video:
Social media can’t keep calm:
The video prompted a flurry of responses, with many sharing how exciting it was to watch the video. While a few thanked the astronaut for sharing the experiment, others asked questions.
An individual asked, “How does this work exactly? The orbit of the larger drop seems chaotic. There’s not much of a rhythm to it. Is it due to electrical charge changes or something? Another posted, “That’s so rad!” A third expressed, “Thank you for posting these videos. They’re all extremely interesting.” A fourth commented, “Zero gravity is so dope.” A fifth wrote, “You guys get way better fidget spinners up there.”
Who is Don Pettit?
This NASA astronaut joined the space agency in 1996. He has a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Oregon State University and a Doctorate in Chemical Engineering from the University of Arizona. Before becoming an astronaut, he worked as a staff scientist at the Los Alamos National Laboratory.
What are your thoughts on this video shared by the astronaut? Did it leave you amazed?
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