The Science of It: Space Travel

Updated: 10:36 AM EDT Aug 4, 2020

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JAZMIN: WE ARE BACK WITH ANOTHER SEGMENT OF "THE SCIENCE OF IT." IN HONOR OF THE ASTRONAUTS WHO JUST CAME BACK FROM SPACE, WERE LEARNING MORE ABOUT WHAT SPACE TRAVEL DOES TO THE BODY. ADRIAN: SPECIFICALLY WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF YOU ARE NOT SEALED IN HERMETICALLY. AT THE ORLANDO SCIENCE CENTER, I GOT TO EXPERIMENT WITH PEEPS. WE ARE BACK AT THE ORLANDO SCIENCE CENTER INSIDE THE DIGITAL THEATER WITH OUR FRIEND SPENCER. TODAY, WE ARE TALKING ABOUT SOME OF THE THINGS YOU NEVER WANT TO EXPERIENCE IN SPACE. >> YOU MAY HAVE HEARD THAT SPACE IS BAD FOR THE HUMAN BODY. ONE IS THE OBVIOUS REASON. SPACE IS COLD. PEOPLE MIGHT NOT THINK ABOUT THE VACUUM AND THE RADIATION. THERE IS TONS OF RADIATION COMING FROM THE SUN AND STARS THAT CAN MELT STUFF. WE HAVE TO PROTECT THEIR SPACESHIPS AND ASTRONAUTS AS WE PUT THEM UP THERE. WE WILL TEST THIS ON PEEPS. YOU MAY HAVE SEEN THESE AROUND EASTER. THEY PUT THESE ON SALE AFTERWARDS. ADRIAN: BECAUSE NO ONE IS BUYING THEM. >> YES. WE PUT THE PEEPS UNDER THREE DIFFERENT DANGEROUS THINGS THAT MIGHT HAPPEN TO AN ASTRONAUT IF THEY WERE NOT PROTECTED -- RADIATION, COLD. I WILL PUT THE PEEP IN THE MICROWAVE. THEY -- MICROWAVES ARE A TYPE OF RADIATION. RADIATION COMES IN DIFFERENT FORMS, BUT THE MICROWAVES HERE WILL EXPAND OUR PEEP. THIS IS NOT EXACTLY WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO A HUMAN, BUT RADIATION IS STILL BAD FOR HUMANS. ADRIAN: WHAT IS HAPPENING? WHY IS IT DOING THIS TO THE PEOPLE? -- TO THE PEEP? >> RADIATION CAN TURN MOLECULES MORE ENERGETIC. THE REASON WATER HEATS UP IN THE MICROWAVE IS BECAUSE THEY INTERACT WITH WATER. A SIMILAR THING IS HAPPENING HERE. AS WE PULL THEM OUT, YOU CAN SEE THAT PEEP HAS BEEN BETTER. ADRIAN: THAT PEEP DID NOT LIKE THE MICROWAVE. >> ITS ENTIRE BODY IS MELTED. THAT IS OK. ADRIAN: WE HAVE MADE IT THROUGH RADIATION. >> NOW WE WILL TEST THE VACUUM SEAL. I WILL THROW THESE PEEPS INTO THE BEAKER. THIS IS A STRONG VACUUM. A VACUUM IS BASICALLY THE ABSENCE OF AIR. ON EARTH, WE LOVE AIR. I AM A BIG FAN. ADRIAN: IT IS A NECESSITY. >> IT IS IMPORTANT FOR BREATHING AND FOR KEEPING OUR BODIES INTACT. WE ARE FULL OF AIR INSIDE. THAT PRESSURE KEEPS US HUMAN SHAPED. THE SAME THING IS HAPPENING WITH THE PEEPS. WE WILL TAKE THAT AIR AWAY TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS. WE WILL PUT OUR GLASS DOME ON TOP SO WE CAN GET A GOOD VACUUM SEAL. LETS SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE TURN OUR VACUUM ON. ALL RIGHT. YOU CAN SEE WHAT IS HAPPENING. THE AIR IS LEAVING THAT CONTAINER. THE AIR INSIDE THE PEEPS IS PUSHING OUTWARDS, CAUSING THEM TO EXPAND. THEN WHEN I TURN MY VACUUM BACK OFF, WE WILL SEE THEY SHRINK BACK DOWN. THAT HAPPENS BECAUSE THE AIR LEFT THE PEEPS. THERE IS NOTHING LEFT TO PUSH OUTWARDS. IT COMPRESSES THEM BACK DOWN TO THEIR SHAPE. ADRIAN: EVEN SMALLER THAN THEY WERE BEFORE. >> EXACTLY, BECAUSE WE GOT ALL THE AIR THAT WAS INSIDE OUT. I RECOMMEND WEARING A SPACESUIT IF YOU DO GO TO SPACE. ADRIAN: OUR THIRD PERIL. >> SUPERCOLD. SPACE GETS INCREDIBLY COLD. IF YOU ARE NOT PREPARED, BAD THINGS CAN HAPPEN. WE WILL DEMONSTRATE THAT WITH THE PEEPS. WE HAVE SOMETHING CALLED LIQUID NITROGEN. IT IS SUPER, SUPER, SUPER, SUPERCOLD. ANYTHING YOU PUT INSIDE WILL GET YOU COOLLY COLD -- WILL GET EQUALLY COLD. . WE ARE GOING TO POUR SOME OF THIS NITROGEN INTO MY BEAKER. WE WILL BE ABLE TO SEE THAT IT IMMEDIATELY STARTS BOILING. FOGGING UP. IT IS FREEZING THE AIR MOLECULES. A LOT OF WHAT YOU ARE SEEING IS LITERALLY A CLOUD, WATER FROM THE AIR CONDENSING AND FORMING A CLOUD. YOU CAN SEE THE NITROGEN IS BOILING RIGHT THERE. HUMANS, BUT TO NITROGEN IT FEELS LIKE A BOILING OVEN IN HERE, SUPERCOLD. WE WILL EXPOSE THE PEEPS TO THIS TEMPERATURE. BASICALLY, I WILL PLOP THEM IN THEIR. GET THEM COLD. WE WILL GO AND USE OUR TONGS TO GET THEM IN THERE REALLY DEEP. THEY DO NOT CHANGE TOO MUCH ON THE OUTSIDE RIGHT AWAY, BUT WILL YOU WILL -- WHAT WE WILL DO TO DEMONSTRATE THAT THEY HAVE FROZEN IS SMASH THEM WITH A HAMMER. I WILL ALLOW YOU TO DO THAT BECAUSE YOU HAVE NOT PROBABLY DONE THIS IN YOUR LIFE. ADRIAN: I HAVE NOT. >> NEVER ONCE. THAT IS STRANGE. I AM GOING TO PLACE THESE PEEPS ON OUR CUTTING BOARD. YOU WILL TAKE THE HAMMER AND SMASH AWAY. READY? LETS DO TWO AT THE START. SMASH. ADRIAN: THAT IS FUN. >> LETS SEE IF WE CAN DO A COUPLE MORE. ONE PEEP, TWO PEOPLE. -- TWO PEEP. ANYMORE? THERE ARE NO LONGER PEEPS. FANTASTIC. JAZMIN: WE HAVE MADE IT -- ADRIAN: WE HAVE MADE IT THROUGH THE 3 -- >> MOST DANGEROUS ASPECTS OF SPACE. MAKE SURE YOU ARE NOT A WHEN YOU GO TO SPACE. ADRIAN: SPENCER WITH THE ORLANDO SCIENCE CENTER, THANK YOU. WHERE CAN THE KIDS AND THE FAMILY LEARN MORE ABOUT THESE EXPERIMENTS? >> WE HAVE BOSS AND STUFF GOING ON AT THE SCIENCE CENTER -- WE HAVE AWESOME STUFF GOING ON AT THE SCIENCE CENTER. ALL THE TIME. WE HAVE A WEBSITE TOO, OSC.ORG, ALL KINDS OF STUFF YOU CAN DO A HOME. ADRIAN: THANKS. SO MUCH FUN TO SMASH PEEPS. IT IS CATHARTIC. IF YOU WANT TO SEE WHAT OTHER COOL STUFF IS HAPPENING, IT IS OPEN THURSDAY TROUGH TUESDAY. THEY GO THROUGH A THOROUGH CLEANING PROCESS EACH NIGHT. WEDNESDAYS, THEY ARE CLOSED OR DEEP CLEANING. THEY ARE OFFERING A WEEKLY SCIENCE CAMP FOR KIDS. AND IF YOU WANT TO SEE WHAT THEYRE CREATING FOR AT-HOME SCIENTISTS, THEYVE GOT A NEWSLETTER YOU CAN SIGN UP FOR ON THEIR WEBSITE. WE DID A COUPLE MORE EXPERIMENTS WITH THEM. I WILL TELL YOU THIS ONE IS AWESOME. THEY ARE JUST RAMPING IT UP. JAZMIN: SMASHING PEEPS, LIKE TAKING KIDS TO A RAGE

The Science of It: Space Travel

Updated: 10:36 AM EDT Aug 4, 2020

Today's edition of The Science of It is all about space travel.In honor of the astronauts who just returned to Earth from space, we're learning about how space travel affects the human body.Check out the demonstration above to learn about radiation, cold temperatures in space, liquid nitrogen and more!

Today's edition of The Science of It is all about space travel.

In honor of the astronauts who just returned to Earth from space, we're learning about how space travel affects the human body.

Check out the demonstration above to learn about radiation, cold temperatures in space, liquid nitrogen and more!

Link:

The Science of It: Space Travel - WESH 2 Orlando