Black Raven Dragoons

[Zancarius]

...on the ISS:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7obLT4s2-HA

[Tarlas]

lol!

[Haiku]

O_O

What's sad is that this is what comes out of a mulit-billion dollar project.

[Zancarius]

Lots of people would like to believe that, but...

We actually don't fully understand how things behave in microgravity. Did you know that water and oil mix perfectly in space? There's probably a number of new alloys waiting to be discovered that might only be possible if fabricated in microgravity.

The other link (where they "shock" a ball of water) might look like a toy, but you have to consider it on a grander scale of science. On the Earth, we have a fairly decent idea how shock waves interact with sub-crustal media and below. However, our knowledge is based upon inference alone from seismometers . Furthermore, such measurements are only possible during and after a tectonic event. Not only are these measurements limited in duration, but we also have almost zero understanding of what larger scale (i.e. more cataclysmic) events would do to a relatively soft body like the Earth. By toying with experiments used to determine how water interacts with various external influences, we can observe more closely and in a controlled environment what might happen if, for instance, Earth were impacted by a fairly large body. Recall that such an event is often theorized to have created the moon, and you'll better appreciate why these experiments are indeed important to help expand our knowledge beyond our admittedly limited sphere of influence (pun notwithstanding).

So, while it might look like it's fun and games, fluids behave very strangely in microgravity. Even something as simple as tea and chopsticks can grant insight into how fluids adhere, say, to the inside of tanks. This is pretty important if you consider that fluids very similar to tea--such as water--have to be stored on board the ISS and space shuttle. Ground-breaking discoveries are very seldom found on purpose and are frequently stumbled upon by accident. I wouldn't be too surprised if this were something that inspired future generations into creating more effective waste-containment systems, recycling systems, or the like.

On the surface, some science can look fun. But when you consider that this is what's in competition with social programs that have no boundaries and have a very limited scope of success, I'd rather see my tax money go to NASA.