Published 17:31 IST, February 14th 2022

When NASA astronauts played water ping-pong in International Space Station; watch

NASA astronaut Jack Fischer shared a throwback video of him playing water ping-pong with fellow astronaut Peggy Whitson aboard the ISS.

Reported by: Harsh Vardhan
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Image: Twitter/@Astro2fish | Image: self
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The International Space Station (ISS) has served as a platform wherein various experiments, ranging from farming to biology, have taken place in the past few decades. While the experiments conducted aboard the ISS are pretty serious, astronauts don't leave any opportunity to have some fun. After coming across many activities that can be practised to have a good time in space, NASA astronaut Jack Fischer has shared a clip featuring another fun activity, water ping-pong.

The video shared above is a throwback one from Fischer from the time when he played the one-of-a-kind sport with former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson. As you can see in the clip, the water behaves no less than a ball owing to the lack of gravity aboard the space station. Both Fischer and Whitson can be seen trading some shots while the water breaks into several fragments. Apart from the behaviour of water, the lack of gravity also impacts the food the astronauts carry when they leave for the space station as well as the way they eat.

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How do astronauts drink and eat in space?

Drinking water is done exactly how Fischer slurps the water fragments at the end of his shared clip. As for the food, some of them are sent in a packaged form which is then heated in an oven provided in the space station. According to NASA, the food packaging is designed to be flexible and easier to use, as well as to maximize space when stowing or disposing of food containers. While stuff like ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise are provided in their usual form, salt and pepper are available in a liquid form because sprinkling them in space can cause them to simply float away and clog air vents, contaminate equipment or get stuck in an astronaut's eyes. Despite such strict measurements, nutritionists ensure the food astronauts eat provides them with a balanced supply of vitamins and minerals.

Image: Twitter/@Astro2fish

17:31 IST, February 14th 2022