WATCH: Viral video of astronaut squeezing towel in space is mesmerizing!

A Canadian astronaut, is seen in a viral video squeezing a wet towel while conducting an experiment on board the International Space Station.

Even the most ordinary things appear amazing in microgravity. Earthlings have long been mesmerized by microgravity and water.

This incredible combination is promoted in a video that has reappeared and is becoming viral on social media. Chris Hadfield, a retired Canadian astronaut, is seen in the video wringing a wet towel while conducting an experiment on board the International Space Station. Direct streaming of the footage from the ISS occurred in 2013.

Chris begins by displaying a towel that has been reduced to the size of a tape roll. Then, using a water bag, he extracts just enough liquid to saturate the towel. He wrings the towel after finishing. The absence of gravity prevents the water from dripping to the ground. Instead, a gel-like surface develops. It starts with the towel and advances gradually to Chris’s hands.

The experiment demonstrates how water responds to its environment in space. On Earth, managing water appears to be relatively simple because gravity directs the water molecules to flow, whether they are pouring out of a bottle or entering our mouths through a glass. However, there is almost no force to move the water molecules in microgravity.

In space, the water’s surface tension is the only factor in play. In microgravity, the only factor that affects how liquids behave—in this case, water—is surface tension. As a result, astronauts must use straws to sip water from a sealed container.

The identical thing is in progress in the video. When the towel is twisted at both ends and moved over Chris’s hands, the surface tension allows just enough water to flow to escape from the towel.

This is what happens when you wring out a wet towel while floating in space.

Credit: CSA/NASA pic.twitter.com/yTZclq9bCJ

— Wonder of Science (@wonderofscience) June 21, 2022