Weightless Water - Experiments In ’Zero Gravity’

Why does water behave in such weird ways in microgravity? We went on a parabolic ’vomit comet’ flight to investigate. Check out the interactive 360 footage from this flight: Day 16 of our advent calendar: Microgravity is a key characteristic of life aboard the ISS. And in a weightless world things behave very differently. Christmas Lecturer Kevin Fong got a taste of this unearthly sensation on board a parabolic flight, which simulates microgravity by flying in steep peaks and troughs. While on board, he did a few simple experiments, investigating the properties of water in a weightless environment. Christmas Lectures Assistant Jon Farrow explains what’s going on. ‘A Place Called Space’ is the 2015 Royal Institution advent calendar. Every day in the run up to Christmas we’ll be releasing an original piece of content exploring the human experience and cultural significance of space travel. With hand-drawn animations, experiments in zero gravity, interviews with astronauts and creative data visualisations, the calendar will fire you into space every morning. ’A Place Called Space’ channels the voices of seasoned astronauts and expert scientists through the eyes of a team of talented animators, film-makers and artists, bringing you a thought-provoking gem to kick-start each day. Check it out at With special thanks to our lead supporter, Wellcome Trust Subscribe for regular science videos: The Ri is on Twitter: and Facebook: and Tumblr: Our editorial policy: Subscribe for the latest science videos: