I thought this was fun: > NASA Science News for September 4, 2003 > A surprising number of astronauts are also > musicians--and they love to play in space. > http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2003/04sep_music.htm?list818490
"...A lot of astronauts play instruments. There's even an astronaut rock-and-roll band. And a surprising variety of musical instruments have found their way into space: in addition to the keyboard, there's been a flute, a guitar, a saxophone, and an Australian aboriginal wind instrument known as a didgeridoo... "..."When I played the flute in space," says Ochoa, "I had my feet in foot loops." In microgravity, even the small force of the air blowing out of the flute would be enough to move her around the shuttle cabin. In fact, even with her feet hooked into the loops, she could feel that force pushing her back and forth, "just a little bit" as she played... "...Instruments are also checked for any gases they might produce. Unlike Earth where noxious fumes can waft harmlessly out the window, the space station is airtight. Even tiny amounts of gas could accumulate given time. "We test some of them by putting a piece of the material into a closed chamber and heating it to as much as 120 degrees Fahrenheit for three days," explains Pedley. Then they take a sample of the gas and analyze it. (NASA testing procedures are so good that the US Navy is adopting them for submarines.)..." Brother In Space Maru :) (where are the bagpipes?) __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
