MAGNUS: Hi. I'm Sandra Magnus,
MAGNUS: Hi. I'm Sandra Magnus,

member of the Expedition 18 crew
member of the Expedition 18 crew

aboard the International Space Station,
aboard the International Space Station,

and I'd like to welcome you on board our lovely station.
and I'd like to welcome you on board our lovely station.

We're gonna talk a little bit today
We're gonna talk a little bit today

about what it takes to build a space station
about what it takes to build a space station

and all the busy work we've been doing up here
and all the busy work we've been doing up here

since I arrived four months ago.
since I arrived four months ago.

It's been quite an adventure.
It's been quite an adventure.

A lot of people wonder, you know,
A lot of people wonder, you know,

"Why are we doing all these things in space?
"Why are we doing all these things in space?

What is so special about this environment
What is so special about this environment

that makes us want to come up here and do these things?"
that makes us want to come up here and do these things?"

I want to share a very interesting phenomenon with you
I want to share a very interesting phenomenon with you

that I find utterly fascinating
that I find utterly fascinating

and I think that we still have yet to learn a lot about,
and I think that we still have yet to learn a lot about,

and that's the behavior of liquids.
and that's the behavior of liquids.

You know, we do a lot of studies on fluids up here,
You know, we do a lot of studies on fluids up here,

and that's because surface tension
and that's because surface tension

is a very dominant factor up here,
is a very dominant factor up here,

where on the ground, gravity tends to be the dominant factor.
where on the ground, gravity tends to be the dominant factor.

What surface tension does is it tends to want to make --
What surface tension does is it tends to want to make --

For liquids, it tends to want to make it behave --
For liquids, it tends to want to make it behave --

Let me move a little closer so you can see this.
Let me move a little closer so you can see this.

It tends to make liquids behave a lot differently.
It tends to make liquids behave a lot differently.

And the natural shape is a sphere.
And the natural shape is a sphere.

That's the lowest-energy shape for a liquid.
That's the lowest-energy shape for a liquid.

But what's interesting is, because of surface tension,
But what's interesting is, because of surface tension,

you put a liquid on an object, and it really --
you put a liquid on an object, and it really --

It wants to stick to the object
It wants to stick to the object

'cause it changes the physics a little bit.
'cause it changes the physics a little bit.

And, so, let me put a bunch of liquid on my hand.
And, so, let me put a bunch of liquid on my hand.

I have to be very careful 'cause I'm in the laboratory
I have to be very careful 'cause I'm in the laboratory

and I really don't want to make a mess.
and I really don't want to make a mess.

Now, I can make a glove of water on my hand.
Now, I can make a glove of water on my hand.

Let me move a little bit closer.
Let me move a little bit closer.

And I put some water on my hand.
And I put some water on my hand.

And of course, on the ground, this doesn't work
And of course, on the ground, this doesn't work

because it falls down.
because it falls down.

Can you see the water between my fingers?
Can you see the water between my fingers?

This is all driven by surface tension
This is all driven by surface tension

that's driving the behavior of the water.
that's driving the behavior of the water.

So, what can you do with this phenomenon?
So, what can you do with this phenomenon?

How can you use this to make new and interesting things?
How can you use this to make new and interesting things?

If you put little particles,
If you put little particles,

like the colloids that I mentioned earlier,
like the colloids that I mentioned earlier,

in a liquid like this
in a liquid like this

and apply a magnetic field or apply an electric field
and apply a magnetic field or apply an electric field

or apply a mechanical stress
or apply a mechanical stress

or something that changes the properties
or something that changes the properties

of how those particles behave in the liquid,
of how those particles behave in the liquid,

what kind of systems can you come up with?
what kind of systems can you come up with?

What kind of systems can you engineer?
What kind of systems can you engineer?

What kind of fundamental physics
What kind of fundamental physics

are we going to discover from such behavior?
are we going to discover from such behavior?

We can study this here.
We can study this here.

We can't study this on the planet.
We can't study this on the planet.

I find this really fascinating,
I find this really fascinating,

and I'm not really sure we understand
and I'm not really sure we understand

all of the possible applications that you can get
all of the possible applications that you can get

from a behavior like this.
from a behavior like this.

Will it do this on the Moon?
Will it do this on the Moon?

You know, what kind of a step of gravity do we need
You know, what kind of a step of gravity do we need

in order to lose this type of behavior?
in order to lose this type of behavior?

Or is there something different?
Or is there something different?

You know, you can do the calculations,
You know, you can do the calculations,

and you can understand this from the calculations.
and you can understand this from the calculations.

And we discussed surface tension when I took thermodynamics,
And we discussed surface tension when I took thermodynamics,

and I went through the calculations
and I went through the calculations

and understood wetting angles and things like that.
and understood wetting angles and things like that.

But to see it here in action in microgravity,
But to see it here in action in microgravity,

it brings it home in a really different sense,
it brings it home in a really different sense,

and it really fires up your imagination.
and it really fires up your imagination.

And you look at this.
And you look at this.

I mean, can I make a glove out of a liquid?
I mean, can I make a glove out of a liquid?

Can I do something? Can you use a protective glove?
Can I do something? Can you use a protective glove?

How can I use this in systems
How can I use this in systems

to design hydraulic systems or fluid systems
to design hydraulic systems or fluid systems

or use fluids even as control mechanisms
or use fluids even as control mechanisms

in other kinds of systems?
in other kinds of systems?

It's all new.
It's all new.

It's all interesting. It's all exciting.
It's all interesting. It's all exciting.

Think. Use your imagination. What could you do with this?
Think. Use your imagination. What could you do with this?

I can change the shape of my hand,
I can change the shape of my hand,

and the water just fits right around it
and the water just fits right around it

and just flows with it.
and just flows with it.

Isn't that interesting?
Isn't that interesting?

So, that, my friends,
So, that, my friends,

is why we come up here and we do experiments.
is why we come up here and we do experiments.

We have phenomena like this that we don't see on the Earth,
We have phenomena like this that we don't see on the Earth,

and we don't know what it means,
and we don't know what it means,

and we don't know how we can use it,
and we don't know how we can use it,

and we don't know what we don't know,
and we don't know what we don't know,

so we'll have to see what else we discover
so we'll have to see what else we discover

as we spend more time here in microgravity
as we spend more time here in microgravity

and we move on to the Moon and Mars
and we move on to the Moon and Mars

and even more interesting and unique environments.
and even more interesting and unique environments.

So, we carefully clean this up so I don't make a mess,
So, we carefully clean this up so I don't make a mess,

and I want to say, again,
and I want to say, again,

thank you for stopping by the Space Station today.
thank you for stopping by the Space Station today.

I hope you enjoyed your stop.
I hope you enjoyed your stop.

I wish you could come here
I wish you could come here

and look out the window with us sometime,
and look out the window with us sometime,

but at least try and find some of the pictures.
but at least try and find some of the pictures.

And think about what I just showed you
And think about what I just showed you

and all of the other things that we're doing up here
and all of the other things that we're doing up here

that we really are trying to understand
that we really are trying to understand

and things that we'll discover
and things that we'll discover

because we don't know they exist yet.
because we don't know they exist yet.

And imagine our future. It'll be very nice.
And imagine our future. It'll be very nice.