Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) conduct plenty of experiments. But, a lot of the time, these experiments are their own bodies. We all know the effects zero G has on their muscles and bones. Once they get back to Earth, it often takes a while for them to readjust to gravity.
One question you may have been asking yourself, is how do astronauts weigh themselves? Well, the ISS Research Twitter has you covered. Check out Reid Wiseman ‘weighing’ himself in the Vine below.
— ISS Research (@ISS_Research) October 8, 2014
You’re probably asking yourself, what the hell is he doing? The spring Wiseman is on moves up and down at a certain rate. Any changes to that rate can be worked out with a bit of math and physics, and determine the person’s weight.
Wiseman’s pushing 80.17 kg in the Vine above. That works out to 176.7 pounds for us Americans.
ISS Research followed up with a video explaining how it works. Check it out below.