Space the beyond

itsfullofstars:

The principle used to simulate weightlessness in a huge tank of water is called ‘neutral buoyancy’. A neutrally buoyant object neither floats nor sinks. For an astronaut to be neutrally buoyant in water, the natural tendency to float or sink is counteracted by weights or flotation devices.

Here ESA astronaut André Kuipers is seen during EVA training in NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) at the Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas.

Although it is not exactly the same as being weightless in space, astronauts and cosmonauts practice in neutral buoyancy how to move large objects. You can still feel the pull of gravity while neutrally buoyant, and the drag of moving about through the water slows down your movements – but it is the closest you can get to microgravity on Earth.

The full spacewalk, or Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA), training for the ISS is traditionally done at the NASA Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory and at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, in Russia. With over 18 hours of EVA time in space under his belt, Swedish astronaut Christer Fuglesang is currently the most experienced spacewalker in the European Astronaut Corps.

Astronaut André Kuipers during EVA training (by European Space Agency)