I can’t think of one person who isn’t fascinated with the concept of weightlessness. Man has always dreamed of flying, and the zero-gravity situation of space makes this humanoid flight possible. However, you don’t really get to ask astronauts to perform stunts for you, unless you’re able to email the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and astronaut Koichi Wakata. One of his duties on the International Space Station is designated stuntman.
Whatever people ask, Wakata will do. Fly around on a magic carpet? Done. Put in eye drops? Done. Engage in some friendly arm-wrestling (or try to)? Done. The condensed video of Wakata’s rigorous experimentation from Pink Tentacle is one of the most amusing things I’ve ever seen, and it looks like Wakata is really enjoying his mission.
Who could blame him? Do you think they’d let him do this stuff just on his own whims? No way! There’s nothing science-related about swimming around with folded up flight manuals as oars. But it is fun, and it is the kind of experiment that the public wants to see.
Less ant colonies in space; more moon golf!
Tags: Astronauts, space, International Space Station, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, ISS, JAXA, videos, funny videos, experiments, weightlessness, zero gravity stunts, Koichi Wakata