YOU TRY IT! Spin Cycle
Want to know what your first couple of days in space will feel like? Try this.
WHAT YOU NEED
- Lots of floor space, or a wide space outside
WHAT TO DO
- Bend over and tilt your head down as far as possible so you’re looking straight down at the ground.
- While holding your head in this position, spin yourself around as fast as possible at least five times (or more, if you can).
- After the last spin, stand up and try to walk in a straight line. You’ll probably find yourself staggering to one side.
What just happened? Any time you move your head, the fluid in your ear canals sloshes around, sending signals to your brain that your head is moving. When you stand up after twirling around, the fluids keep spinning for a few seconds, signaling to your brain that your head is tilting to the side when it’s really not—your brain thinks you’re falling over and tries to compensate, so you stagger until your brain receives the new message that you’re balanced.
In space, the false signals to the brain make astronauts lose their sense of up and down. Thankfully, that feeling goes away as the brain learns to ignore the false signals from the body and relies just on the eyes to figure out what the body is doing.