Water Droplets Dancing Around a Knitting Needle in Space

Astronaut Dr. Don Pettit is currently orbiting the earth onboard the International Space Station, and is known for regularly sharing his cool on-orbit experiments. His latest experiment made me particularly excited, because it showed that there are craft tools in space! Pettit reveals that in his “crew preference” he has a few knitting needles. He admits to not having a lot of time for “knittin’ up here” but goes on to show a rad physics demonstration that includes droplets of water actually orbiting around the knitting needle. It’s hard to capture the beauty of this process in a still shot, so be sure to watch the video to learn all about why this happens. I imagine you’ll also enjoy Pettit’s charming way of saying “knittin’ needle.” I’ll also be dreaming of a day when knitting needles and embroidery hoops can be used for both cool physics experiments and crafting in space someday. Thank you for sharing, Dr. Pettit!