Unlike what happens on Earth, the honey didn't drip down but remained suspended in a viscous gloop mid-air
During a typical space mission, astronauts spend six to twelve months aboard the International Space Station (ISS), orbiting Earth in the confined, high-tech environment of the spacecraft. Every few months, a spaceship arrives with fresh supplies, including food, treats from home, clothes, and clean water. In December 2018, Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques, while on the ISS, received a box of honey among his supplies. In his downtime, after completing spacewalks and module tests, he filmed a video showing the fascinating behavior of honey in microgravity. Posted in 2019, the video has amassed 64 million views.
In the video, the Canadian astronaut takes advantage of the ISS’s microgravity to demonstrate how honey behaves in space. “So let’s show you the strange behavior of honey in zero gravity,” he said while trying to uncork the yellow lid of a box. In the background, the spaceship’s electronic mechanism created buzzing sounds. He loosened the lid and slowly pulled it apart from the box. Astonishingly, the honey inside the box clung to both the box and the lid, creating a honey bar mid-air. As he pulled the lid farther from the box, the honey still clinging to the box and the lid, hung and suspended in the air. Then, suddenly the honey belt started to twirl onto itself, “It curls back,” the astronaut said.
He stretched the lid and the box further apart, and the gloop of honey again lay dangling in the air, constantly twirling and curling onto itself, like a pretzel. The astronaut then shook the viscous gloop of honey causing it to swing up and down in waves. Meanwhile, when left unattended, the band of honey kept rolling onto itself forming a golden-yellow spiral. Wrapping up the experiment, David folded the honey spiral and smoothly tucked the lid back into the box. “Strange things happen to honey when you remove gravity,” he exclaimed.
Many people on YouTube imagined that honey in space, as shown by David, looked like peanut butter, while @doubl_troubl said, “The honey looks like those thick caramel candies that get stuck to your teeth when you bite it.” @present_mike_official thought it looked like mustard.
According to CSA, David spent 204 days in space during this mission, marking the longest Canadian mission to date. While in space, he conducted science experiments, technology demonstrations, and maintenance activities such as robotics and spacewalks. But the honey experiment surely left people gobsmacked. Over 66,000 people jumped in to comment on the video. Memes and quips circulated all around. @allys744 commented, “This was pretty satisfying to watch.” @lore_guytest quipped “Now that's what I call an "interstellar bond,” referring to the band of honey that clung to both the box and the lid. @lohnjannon22 added another hilarious remark, “There are a few bees who should be very proud.”
@ytedy said, “What the audience really wants to see is what a shaken-up warm soda can looks like when opened in space.” As it turns out, this has already been done before. NASA Astronaut Jack Fischer experimented with drinking a fruit punch on the ISS. As he tried to sip the liquid from a bottle, the crystal-red liquid ejected out of the bottle’s mouth blowing a bubble and covering his mouth entirely. As he kept sipping, the bubble grew larger and larger. Finally, he burst the bubble using a tissue. Strange, how the lack of gravity makes everything topsy-turvy in space!
Share on Facebook
