Did you know ‘space junk’ is any human-made object orbiting earth that no longer serves a useful purpose? Scientists estimate there are about 500,000 pieces of space junk today, including fragments from rockets and satellites, and everyday items.
A space is indeed a bizarre place including many strange phenomena. There are 15 interesting facts about space one should know:Â
1) One cannot cry in space because your tears won’t ever fall.
2) According to astronauts, space smells like seared steak, hot metal, and welding fumes.
3) In 1962, the U.S. blew up a hydrogen bomb in space that was 100 times more powerful than Hiroshima.
4) Astronauts on the International Space Station witness around 15 sunrises and 15 sunsets every day.
5) The International Space Station is the most expensive object ever built, at US$150 billion.
6) In 1977, we received a signal from deep space that lasted 72 seconds. We still don’t know how or where it came from.
7) There is a water reservoir floating in space that is equivalent to 140 trillion times all the water in the world’s ocean.
8) NASA is developing 3D printed pizzas for astronauts.
9) NASA scientists have discovered stars that are cool enough to touch.
10) The International Space Station is about the size of a football field.
11) Saturn’s rings are not solid. They are made up of bits of ice, dust and rock.
12) To our eyes, in space, the sun would appear white, not yellow.
13) It is impossible to whistle in a Spacesuit.
14) Astronauts often lose their fingernails after conducting spacewalks.
15) It’s not strictly true that no sound vibrations can travel through space at all, but humans would not be able to hear any sounds in space.
