Mar 7 2009Japanese Astronaut To Perform Highly Questionable Space Experiments
A Japanese astronaut is set to perform a number of worthless experiments this month while aboard the International Space Station in an attempt to piss off taxpayers and win over schoolchildren.
Koichi Wakata will perform 16 tasks chosen from 1,597 suggested by hundreds of people, from nursery school pupils to a 90-year-old man, said the official at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
Wakata will try "a magic carpet that floats in the air" after he reaches the Japanese laboratory Kibo (Hope) at the International Space Station (ISS) later in March for a stay of more than three months, said a JAXA report.Wakata will also attempt to fold clothes, do push-ups and backflips, arm-wrestle another astronaut and "shoot liquid out of the straw of a drink container to see what happens", said the space agency.
Wow, that sounds....boring. How about you actually perform a few of the experiments I suggested, JAXA? For example: is getting drunk in space as awesome as I imagine? And, if so, is it easy to clean up puke? Lastly, are morbidly-obese people REALLY weightless in space? Because last summer I rode a centrifuge at the county fair and this one fat lady kept sliding down the wall.
Japan astronaut to try flying carpet in space lab: official [physorg]
Thanks to Fred, who wants to know if free-dried ice cream is complimentary for astronauts or if you have to pay for it like at Space Camp.
Reader Comments
1. Watch - March 7, 2009 1:48 PM
hey, cool!
2. R2-D2 - March 7, 2009 1:56 PM
Hope he gets a good polishjob after it's done! Beep Bop!
3. M - March 7, 2009 2:02 PM
magic carpet!? hahaha that one's pretty awesome
4. Sauron - March 7, 2009 2:08 PM
It looks from here one giant trash can! But i can be mistaken!
5. R2-D2 - March 7, 2009 2:11 PM
Hey! Watch your mouth trashcan-head! Blip blop!
6. Naterator - March 7, 2009 2:40 PM
FIRST!!!FIRST!!!FIRST!!!FIRST!!!FIRST!!!FIRST!!!FIRST!!!FIRST!!!FIRST!!!FIRST!!!
FFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUURRRRRRSSSSSSSSSTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
See more after the jump.
7. jj - March 7, 2009 3:16 PM
FIRST!!!FIRST!!!FIRST!!!FIRST!!!FIRST!!!FIRST!!!FIRST!!!FIRST!!!FIRST!!!FIRST!!!
FFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUURRRRRRSSSSSSSSSTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
8. moonwalker - March 7, 2009 3:42 PM
that's awesome. and he gets paid big $$$ to do that??
9. Angry Chinese Driver - March 7, 2009 3:46 PM
"Lastly, are morbidly-obese people REALLY weightless in space? Because last summer I rode a centrifuge at the county fair and this one fat lady kept sliding down the wall."
Way. Too. Funny. I love your writing.
10. Angel Mass - March 7, 2009 4:25 PM
He should try to blog in his site too!
11. Boost - March 7, 2009 6:59 PM
Yea, those are horrible suggestions.
Push ups? What are you pushing against? Of course that wouldn't work.
12. FAILmaster9000 - March 8, 2009 7:11 AM
im sorry but am i the only person on the planet who thinks the two coolest things in life need to be brought together and this could well be our chance? I'm talkin bout space sex ppl, SPACE SEX!!!!!!! Ladies if we were up there together i'd dock in your station and take you into orbit all of a saturn year long
13. Tricky Ricky - March 8, 2009 1:40 PM
@ 12
seeing how this is NASA..perhaps that's why they are doing the "liquid through a straw" test first.???
The second problem is.... they already fired the female astronaut for stalking the male astronaut in a pair of Depends Diapers from Texas to Florida.
14. Rylie - March 8, 2009 5:39 PM
He should do extreme ironing in space
15. Victor - March 12, 2009 1:24 PM
Well one of the things this space station is supposed to do is generate interest in space exploration and science. These sort of things are probably fairly low cost and will make good photo opportunities. Sounds like a PR move to me and as Brendan Behan once said, "There is no such thing as bad publicity except your own obituary."
16. Randy Andy - March 12, 2009 2:21 PM
Heh! Let's get some useful data... like a detailed parametric characterization of the effects of weightlessness on various sexual activities. I am sure that there are some urgent questions that need to be answered!
17. Victor - March 12, 2009 4:49 PM
There's a value to these experiments: it draws the public into the project, which builds support for the space program. Otherwise the general population will not be interested in the "quality" scientific experiments that is regularly conducted.