3 min read<\/p>\n
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"Don](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/iss031e035443large.jpg?w=1920\")
<\/a><\/figure>\nA fisheye lens attached to an electronic still camera was used to capture this image of NASA astronaut Don Pettit.<\/div>\nNASA<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nScience ideas are everywhere. Some of the greatest discoveries have come from tinkering and toying with new concepts and ideas. NASA astronaut Don Pettit is no stranger to inventing and discovering. During his previous missions, Pettit has contributed to advancements for human space exploration aboard the International Space Station resulting in several published scientific papers and breakthroughs.<\/p>\n
Pettit, accompanied by cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner, will launch to the orbiting laboratory in September 2024. In preparation for his fourth spaceflight<\/a>, read about previous \u201cscience of opportunity\u201d experiments Pettit performed during his free time with materials readily available to the crew or included in his personal kit.<\/p>\nFreezing Ice in Space<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/don-pettit-thin-ice-sample.jpeg?w=900\")
<\/a><\/figure>\nThin ice under polarized light frozen aboard the International Space Station.<\/div>\nNASA<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nHave you ever noticed a white bubble inside the ice in your ice tray at home? This is trapped air that accumulates in one area due to gravity. Pettit took this knowledge, access to a -90\u00b0 Celsius freezer aboard the space station, and an open weekend to figure out how water freezes in microgravity compared to on Earth. This photo uses polarized light to show thin frozen water and the visible differences from the ice we typically freeze here on Earth, providing more insight into physics concepts in microgravity.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Space Cup<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/don-pettit-a-cup-of-joe-in-space.gif?w=720\")
<\/a><\/figure>\nNASA astronaut Don Pettit demonstrates how surface tension, wetting, and container shape hold coffee in the space cup.<\/div>\nNASA<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nMicrogravity affects even the most mundane tasks, like sipping your morning tea. Typically, crews drink beverages from a specially sealed bag with a straw. Using an overhead transparency film, Pettit invented the prototype of the Capillary Beverage<\/a><\/strong>, or Space Cup. The cup uses surface tension, wetting, and container shape to mimic the role of gravity in drinking on Earth<\/a>, making drinking beverages in space easier to consume and showing how discoveries aboard station can be used to design new systems.<\/p>\nPlanetary Formation<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n
![\"Don](\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/iss031e035443large.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>Science ideas are everywhere. Some of the greatest discoveries have come from tinkering and toying with new concepts and ideas. NASA astronaut Don Pettit is no stranger to inventing and discovering. During his previous missions, Pettit has contributed to advancements for human space exploration aboard the International Space Station resulting in several published scientific papers and breakthroughs.<\/p>\n
Pettit, accompanied by cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner, will launch to the orbiting laboratory in September 2024. In preparation for his fourth spaceflight<\/a>, read about previous \u201cscience of opportunity\u201d experiments Pettit performed during his free time with materials readily available to the crew or included in his personal kit.<\/p>\n Have you ever noticed a white bubble inside the ice in your ice tray at home? This is trapped air that accumulates in one area due to gravity. Pettit took this knowledge, access to a -90\u00b0 Celsius freezer aboard the space station, and an open weekend to figure out how water freezes in microgravity compared to on Earth. This photo uses polarized light to show thin frozen water and the visible differences from the ice we typically freeze here on Earth, providing more insight into physics concepts in microgravity.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Microgravity affects even the most mundane tasks, like sipping your morning tea. Typically, crews drink beverages from a specially sealed bag with a straw. Using an overhead transparency film, Pettit invented the prototype of the Capillary Beverage<\/a><\/strong>, or Space Cup. The cup uses surface tension, wetting, and container shape to mimic the role of gravity in drinking on Earth<\/a>, making drinking beverages in space easier to consume and showing how discoveries aboard station can be used to design new systems.<\/p>\nFreezing Ice in Space<\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/figure>Space Cup<\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/a><\/figure>Planetary Formation<\/strong><\/h2>\n