Last fall, the Canadian Space Agency asked students to design a simple science experiment that could be performed in space, using items already available aboard the International Space Station. Today, Commander Chris Hadfield conducted the winner for its designers: two tenth grade students, Kendra Lemke and Meredith Faulkner, in a live feed to their school in Fall River, Nova Scotia. And now, we finally have an answer to the age-old question, What Happens When You Wring Out A Washcloth In Space? [more inside]
posted by zarq on Apr 18, 2013 - 63 comments

Fire ant rafts are hard to sink - a very cool demonstration of how ants make use of surface tension.
posted by quin on Jan 15, 2012 - 55 comments

Liquid Sand: High-speed camera catches liquidlike behavior in a stream of granular material.
posted by homunculus on Jun 29, 2009 - 17 comments

Walking on Water: How Water Striders and Meniscus climbing insects use surface tension to walk on water.
posted by dhruva on May 31, 2006 - 16 comments

I drink my tea with chopsticks. At least, I would if I lived in outer space. Cool movie (achtung: Quicktime) from the international space station showing the effects of surface tension in the absence of gravity. I wonder if any of us will ever live long enough to experience this in person?
posted by jonson on Apr 9, 2003 - 13 comments