When we think of crying, the first image that comes to mind is tears streaming down our cheeks. But what if you were in space? Can you cry there the same way you do on Earth? The answer may surprise you: yes, you can cry but the tears won’t fall!
In space, due to the lack of gravity or more accurately, microgravity fluids behave in strange ways. Instead of tears falling from your eyes as they normally would, they gather into bubbles and stick to your face. The drops of water in space resemble tiny crystal balls floating in the air aboard the International Space Station, moving slowly and often clinging to whatever they touch.
Imagine crying in space because you miss Earth or are overwhelmed by the beautiful view of our planet from the window… but instead of your tears gently rolling down, they build up in front of your eyes and might even blur your vision! In fact, some astronauts have reported that crying in space can be uncomfortable, because the tears don’t drain from the eyes, creating a strange feeling like your eyes are filled with a fluid that won’t go away.
It’s kind of funny, but it shows how something as simple and emotional as crying can turn into an unexpected physics experiment in space. Even emotions up there follow new rules making sadness feel like part of a bizarre scientific experience.
