Washing hair in house is a novel problem because of the lack of gravity. On Earth, we depend on working water to rinse out shampoo, however within the microgravity atmosphere of the Worldwide House Station (ISS), water behaves in another way.In a video, NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg offered a step-by-step demonstration of how astronauts wash their hair whereas floating in zero gravity.
Step 1: Collect necessities
To scrub her hair in house, Nyberg makes use of a bag of heat water, no-rinse shampoo, a towel, and a comb. She explains, “These are the issues I want: a bag of heat water, slightly no-rinse shampoo, a towel, and my comb.”
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Step 2: Wetting the hair
Since water doesn’t circulation like on Earth, Nyberg has to squirt heat water straight onto her scalp. She describes, “What I love to do is begin by simply placing some scorching water, squirting it onto my scalp. I’ve a mirror there so I can sort of watch what I’m doing. Typically the water will get away from you, and also you try to catch as a lot as you possibly can. Then, I simply work the water up by to the ends of my hair.”
Step 3: Making use of no-rinse shampoo
Astronauts use a particular no-rinse shampoo, which doesn’t require full rinsing. Nyberg explains, “Subsequent, I take my no-rinse shampoo and squirt it onto my scalp—just a bit bit—and rub it in, once more working it out to the ends. Typically, I’ll really take my comb to assist work all of it the way in which to the tip.”
Step 4: Cleansing with a towel
With out working water, astronauts depend on towels to assist take away grime and extra shampoo. She says, “I wish to take my towel whereas I’ve the shampoo in there and simply sort of work it as a result of, with out standing below working water, you have to use the towel slightly bit to assist get among the grime out.”
Step 5: Ultimate rinse with water
Though the shampoo is no-rinse, Nyberg finds that including slightly further water helps with the cleansing course of. “I wish to comply with that by slightly extra water. It’s known as no-rinse shampoo, however I believe it’s finest for those who use slightly water with it.”Story continues beneath this advert
Step 6: Drying and water recycling
As soon as the hair is clear, it dries naturally within the weightless atmosphere. The evaporating water is captured by the ISS’s air con system and finally recycled into consuming water. “Now, as my hair dries, the water evaporates and turns into humidity within the air. Then, our air con system will accumulate that into condensate, and earlier than lengthy, our water processing system will flip that into consuming water.”
Step 7: Ultimate touches
After washing, Nyberg fastidiously combs by her hair to take away tangles and lets it dry freely. She notes, “On the finish, I simply do one closing comb-through to verify there aren’t any snarls and snags. Whereas it dries, I wish to let it keep free—I don’t put it again in a ponytail whereas it’s drying.”
Washing hair in house requires endurance and adaptation, however astronauts have developed environment friendly strategies to take care of hygiene whereas orbiting Earth. Nyberg’s demonstration provides fascinating perception into every day life aboard the ISS, the place even easy duties like hair-washing require artistic options.
