Astronauts on the International Space Station have stepped up the entertainment factor of their fluid dynamics antics. They’ve added food colouring to the already-excellent combination of zero gravity, water droplet, and antacid tablet, creating a sparkly disco ball of pure joy.
NASA astronaut Terry Virts captured beautiful footage of an antacid tablet within a floating water droplet with the high-resolution RED Epic Dragon camera over the summer, but now Scott Kelly has an even more lovely update. But the purpose isn’t just to create something beautiful: the astronauts are also testing out the camera’s capacity to capture fine details during experiments. The details of each bubble are highlighted by the bulging droplet, fizzing into a lopsided oblate blooping around the station.
Zero gravity + water droplet + food colouring + antacid tablet = perfection
The only real question is if the space station is getting ready for a retrotastic light show for a raging dance party, or if this is some early prototype that will eventually evolve into Slimer from Ghostbusters.
Top image: A water droplet with food colouring and antacid tablet bouncing around in zero gravity on the space station. Credit: NASA/Scott Kelly/Mika McKinnon
Contact the author at mika.mckinnon@io9.com or follow her at @MikaMcKinnon.