Ever since the International Space Station (ISS) was established two decades ago, astronauts aboard the space laboratory have performed approximately 3,000 science experiments. The exams cover a range of subjects, including biology and biotechnology, technological development, educational activities, human research, physical science, as well as earth and space science.
The ISS has flourished over the years as astronauts have spent more time conducting research despite initially being criticized as insignificant and inappropriate for humans on Earth.
Their experiments have led to countless discoveries that have helped people to better understand the nature of microgravity. Here are the main weird experiments humans have done through history, according to ScienceAlert.
Moon trees: sending seeds into space
During the Apollo 14 mission on January 31, 1971, scientists from the U.S. Forestry Service sent about 500 seeds into space to determine the growth of those seeds that experienced microgravity differently from the seeds on Earth. never left the planet. The seeds were sown and sown just like their contemporaries here on Earth, and most of them survived as young trees.
Although it is now common knowledge, the plants that experienced microgravity are no different from the plants that have never experienced microgravity. The moon trees were then planted all over the USA when they were large enough for transplant. NASA said there are less than 100 moon trees to count today.
Russian Tortoises Trip to the Moon
In 1968, long before man was sent to the Moon, the Soviet Union sent Russian tortoises on a trip to the Moon to experience the possible physical effects of the Moon on the human body. The tortoises were chosen because they were easy to hold.
But in addition to tortoises, they also planted wine flies, food worms, seeds, plants, algae and bacteria. Since none of these creatures were completely human-like, the scientists also placed a lump equipped with radiation sensors.
The two tortoises were placed aboard the Zond-5 spacecraft on September 2, 1968, where they were no longer fed. The unnamed tortoise cosmonauts were officially launched to the Moon on September 15 and returned to Earth on September 21. But they found that any changes in the tortoises were more likely to occur with hunger and with very few changes due to the atrophy associated with space light.
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Old Spacesuit let into place
On February 6, 2006, astronauts in the ISS unveiled Orlan’s old Russian space costume full of old clothes and a radio transmitter. His nickname was Ivan Ivanovitch or Mr. Smith, but the official name was SuitSat-1 or AMSAT-OSCAR 54.
Their goal was to use old spaceuits as satellites, but their success was short-lived because NASA says the astronaut died shortly after the release of the space suit. The Russians, on the other hand, claim that the last release was recorded a fortnight ago. It entered the Earth ‘s atmosphere and burned up on September 7, 2006.
Apollo 15 Hammer and falling feathers
Apollo 15 Commander David Scott tested Galileo Galilei’s theory of the hammer and feather reaching the ground at the same time despite unequal mass. He took a geological hammer in one hand and a hawk’s feather in the other, lifted them about 1.6 meters above the ground and dropped them.
As space is empty, with no resistance to air, the two objects fell with a different mass in synchronization to the ground. This confirms the theory that mass had no effect on the acceleration of gravity.
How fire behaves in microgravity
Learning how fire behaves in microgravity can help plan for fire safety in space for future long-term missions and help inform fire safety protocols on Earth. A number of investigations are underway into how fire behaves in space such as the firing and solids overboard tests on board the ISS, the Saffire tests, and the NASA Flame Design study.
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