How Do Astronauts Scratch Their Nose Without Hands?

I think we can all agree that an itch you just can't scratch is one of the worst feelings around whether it's because you're in the middle of something like pouring another cup of coffee or because you just can't that nagging itchy feeling sure has a way to get under your skin which makes me wonder how would you scratch an itch if you were stuck in an airtight suit with hours before you could take it off could you and if not how do people like astronauts say saying you know I've got a minute while I wait for a fresh pot to brew so let's explore a quick case that's out of this world space is cool but it's not exactly the most hospitable place for us without air or atmosphere being in space without some kind of protection is what I like to call up that time now I know TV and movies make it seem like space is just a cold place I've run the numbers and it might surprise you it's worse it's so much worse according to Canadian astronaut in outer space musician Chris Hadfield while the International Space Station is kept at a pleasant room temperature or around 73 degrees Fahrenheit experiencing the vacuum of space would be horrible outside the protective walls the temperature can reach about 240 degrees Fahrenheit in the Sun and around negative 290 degrees Fahrenheit in the shade that's without getting into the fun side effects like having your lungs getting sucked flat there's another reason to never sleep again so what are the options for someone wanting to travel outside without experiencing all those unpleasantries well unless we can learn how to be like beam and acclimate to the weather and lack of things to breathe which seems unlikely we'll have to put on some protective clothing which is where space suits come in there are a few kinds of space suits around but there's a good chance the one you're most familiar with is the EMU no not the bird the extra vehicular Mobility unit also known as that white space suit you've seen in pictures TV shows and movies and while it may look like just a heavy-duty cloth suit there's a lot more going on underneath than you might think at first glance because of the inhospitable environment in the final frontier every spacesuit must contain all the necessities to keep the astronauts inside safe and secure proper air and pressure are a must as exposing the pressurized human body to a vacuum doesn't turn out well there needs to be that pressurized environment to keep everything in its proper place air is a much more self-explanatory need you try holding your breath for a full workday and see how that goes actually on second thought no don't do that it'd be like if I went three hours without coffee but there are other considerations a spacesuit needs to pay attention to as well like sweat temperature visibility and going to the washroom to name a few the EMU covers all of these with equipment that's layered underneath the iconic suit starting with what's known as a maximum absorbency garment better known here on earth as a diaper then comes sweat something you don't want building up in an enclosed suit under zero gravity to combat this astronauts wear a cotton long sleeve shirt and long johns that absorb any sweat the astronaut may build up during the hard work that goes into a spacewalk over those is the liquid cooling ventilation garment a liquid cooled jumpsuit that runs cold water through tubes woven over the body to prevent overheating for air pressure the spacesuit has a life-support system that connects to the suit and keeps it inflated for lack of a better word in the old days this system used to be on the spacecraft connected to the suit by a tube which was later moved into the backpack as of the Apollo missions as for having visibility and being able to see where you're going and what you're working on can be kind of important when on the outside of the ISS so keeping vision clear is what we would call a big deal in order to keep an astronauts vision clear the interior of a spacesuits visor is treated with anti fogger and the spacesuit itself is equipped with a visor to help filter sunlight and a Sun shield to avoid direct sunlight and on top of it all are layers of insulation for warmth in the cold and the iconic reflective white surface to keep it cool in the heat add on to that a cap with a built-in microphone so astronauts can chat with both the station and Houston and sealed compartments for the upper and lower body hands and head that buttons up to keep everything together and airtight it's important that all of these functions are properly maintained and not just for the obvious reasons in July 2013 Italian astronaut Luca parmitano felt something that most of us dread something cold on the back of a neck houston we have a problem but unlike most of us parmitano was sealed in a spacesuit and it was some kind of monster but a water leak to describe how dangerous this was imagine if your room was slowly filling with water and now imagine that instead of filling your room the water floated it around and stuck to anything it touched like your computer your desk your face things like that oh that was parmitano situation his water cooling system had sprung a leak flooding his helmet as water stuck to his face and visor simultaneously blinding and drowning him thankfully parmitano was able to return to the airlock over the course of a few harrowing minutes and escaped in time but it was a close call that illustrated the dangers of when space suits don't work as intended so what happens if you get an itch partway through a spacewalk well to quote retired NASA astronaut clayton anderson you shake rattle and roll baby according to clayton when there's an itch on an astronauts body it's the only thing they can do without the use of their hands but between the liquid cooling system bulky equipment and the stiff suit itself there's usually something that astronauts can wiggle their body against a scratch an itch hmm sounds kind of like a bear claw solely to control I am feeling itch wishing we had good scratching three like back home over haha funny Vassili like a bear users right control here mission is compromised bear alert bear alert huh I get a bit weird when I don't have coffee but what about those pesky nose itches on that front astronauts have a few options starting with their microphones which astronauts can rub their noses against in order to relieve the itch though this can move the microphone out of position and lower sound quality I'm sure it doesn't sound great for anyone on the other side either another potential solution can be found at something called the valsalva device this is a small foam block with an adhesive backing that is attached the inside of a spacesuits helmet for what is known in the biz as the valsalva maneuver the valsalva maneuver is a fancy term that refers to the process of exhaling against a closed airway otherwise known as to exhale from your ears by closing your mouth and pinching your nose shut to equalize pressure in your ears you might be familiar with this process as that thing you do when there's pressure behind your ears while swimming underwater or flying high up in an airplane since astronauts don't have their hands-free they need something to use to get rid of any discomfort from the pressure in the ears and since it's already conveniently available to the nose it's also just in the right spot to scratch any facial itches though if it's already been used it does carry the risk of smearing snot on the astronauts face gross but don't worry the valsalva device has swapped out every time someone goes on a spacewalk these suits are shared after all and then there's a more high-tech solution so versatile it can be found in all walks of life attach the interior of the helmet using state-of-the-art adhesives velcro attaching a piece of velcro strategically would give astronauts a convenient scratching post to use for any facial itches that might come up but if none of those are available what's left well as inconvenient as it sounds ignore it spacewalks aren't for leisure there's a lot of work that goes into them whether that's working on science experiments testing equipment or doing repairs and with so much work there's a lot to keep an astronaut's mind occupied away from the itch how do you astral scratch itches well between using the suit their microphones the valsalva device and velcro they've got a few options while in their spacesuits personally I think it's nice to know there's at least some comfort to be found inside a spacesuit even if they're not the most comfortable thing in the world to wear but that is a topic for another day for now I'll stick to being thankful I could scratch my nose whenever I want even if that means having to drink my coffee and regular old gravity oh speaking of which

Channel: Brew

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Keywords: solved mysteries, unsolved, unsolved mysteries, unsolved cases, mystery, unsolved mystery, investigation, investigate, theory, mysteries unsolved, mysteries solved, solved mystery, unexplained, theories, astronauts, space, blow your nose in space, blow your nose, astronauts blow nose, blow your nose space

Id: gThCRGgd65Q

Length: 8min 28sec (508 seconds)

Published: Fri Aug 02 2019