For the past five months, Commander Chris Hadfield has been tweeting the ultimate in travel photos: from the ISS. He has been a wonderful science ambassador, and I'm kind of thrilled that he's on the back of our new $5 bill. He begins the return trip tomorrow, and he has left us with this lovely video*: a cover of David Bowie's Space Oddity, recorded near the edge of space.
Safe journey, sir.
*Among others, mostly for the Canadian Space Agency. If you want to learn what living in space is like, go watch them. One of my favourites is what happens when you try to wring out a soaking-wet washcloth in weightlessness.
Obligatory pedantry: Ignore the bits about being in zero gravity; it's a common misconception, but he's only about 450 km up, so the gravity acting on him is nearly the same as the gravity acting at the surface of the planet. He is weightless because the ISS and everything in it are in free fall. They are all falling towards the Earth at the same rate, but they keep missing it. Douglas Adams would be pleased.
Safe journey, sir.
*Among others, mostly for the Canadian Space Agency. If you want to learn what living in space is like, go watch them. One of my favourites is what happens when you try to wring out a soaking-wet washcloth in weightlessness.
Obligatory pedantry: Ignore the bits about being in zero gravity; it's a common misconception, but he's only about 450 km up, so the gravity acting on him is nearly the same as the gravity acting at the surface of the planet. He is weightless because the ISS and everything in it are in free fall. They are all falling towards the Earth at the same rate, but they keep missing it. Douglas Adams would be pleased.
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