– English Lyrics

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

How do we do research in zero gravity?

We Asked a NASA Scientist.

Actually when astronauts do experiments

on the International Space Station,

for instance,

to look at the effect of the space

environment on organisms,

that environment

is actually technically called microgravity.

That is, things feel weightless,

but we're still under

the influence of Earth's gravity.

Now, the very microgravity

that we're trying to study up there

can make experiments

actually really kind of difficult

for a bunch of different reasons.

First of all, stuff floats.

So losing things in the ISS

is a very real possibility.

For example,

there was a set of tomatoes

that was harvested in 2022

put it in a bag and it floated away

and we couldn't find it for eight months.

So to prevent this kind of thing from happening,

we use a lot of different methods, such as

using enclosed experiment spaces like glove boxes and glove bags.

We use a lot of Velcro to stick stuff to.

Another issue is bubbles in liquids.

So, on Earth, bubbles float up,

in space they don't float up,

they'll interfere with optical measurements

or stop up your microfluidics.

So space experiment equipment often

includes contraptions for stopping

or blocking or trapping bubbles.

A third issue is convection.

So on Earth,

gravity drives a process of gas

mixing called convection

and that helps circulate air.

But without that in microgravity we worry about

some of our experimental organisms

and whether they're going to get the fresh air

that they need.

So we might do things like adding a fan to their habitat,

or if we can't, we'll take their habitat

and put it somewhere

where there might already be a fan on the ISS

or in a corridor

where we think there are going to be a lot of astronauts

moving around and circulating the air.

Yet another issue is the fact

that a lot of the laboratory instruments

we use on Earth are not designed for microgravity.

So to ensure that gravity doesn't

play a factor in how they work,

we might do experiments on the ground

where we turn them on their side or upside down,

or rotate them on a rotisserie

to make sure that they keep working.

So, as you can tell, for

every experiment that we do

on the International Space Station,

there's a whole team of scientists

on the ground that has spent years

developing the experiment design.

And so I guess the answer

to how we do research in microgravity is with a lot

of practice and preparation.

We Asked a NASA Scientist.

NASA. A NASA 360 Production.

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
research /rɪˈsɜːrtʃ/ B2	noun - the systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources verb - to study in detail to discover new information
experiment /ɪkˈsperɪmənt/ B1	noun - a scientific test carried out to prove or discover something verb - to try something in order to discover what it is like or how it works
microgravity /ˌmaɪkrəʊˈɡrævɪti/ C2	noun - a condition of experiencing very slight gravity, such as in orbit or free fall
gravity /ˈɡrævɪti/ B2	noun - the force that pulls objects toward the Earth
float /floʊt/ A2	verb - to rest or move on the surface of a liquid without sinking
bubble /ˈbʌbəl/ B1	noun - a small round sphere of air or gas in a liquid
convection /kənˈvekʃən/ C1	noun - the transfer of heat by the movement of fluids or gases
circulate /ˈsɜːrkjəleɪt/ B2	verb - to move continuously through a closed system or area
instrument /ˈɪnstrəmənt/ B2	noun - a tool or device used for a particular purpose
design /dɪˈzaɪn/ B1	noun - a plan or drawing produced to show the look and function of something verb - to create, plan, or arrange for a purpose
practice /ˈpræktɪs/ B1	noun - the repeated exercise or performance of an activity to improve skill verb - to do something repeatedly to improve skill
harvest /ˈhɑːrvɪst/ B2	verb - to gather crops when they are ready noun - the process or period of gathering crops
environment /ɪnˈvaɪrənmənt/ B2	noun - the surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives
issue /ˈɪʃuː/ B2	noun - an important topic or problem for discussion or consideration
equipment /ɪˈkwɪpmənt/ B1	noun - the necessary items for a particular purpose