Hi there! I'm Dr. Emily Carter, an astrophysicist with over a decade of experience studying the effects of space travel on the human body. I'm particularly interested in the physiological adaptations our bodies undergo in microgravity environments. Astronauts crying in space is a fascinating topic, and there are a lot of misconceptions floating around about it! Let me clarify things for you.

It's not true that astronauts can't cry in space. They absolutely can, and they do! Remember, astronauts are humans first, and crying is a natural human response to a range of emotions, from sadness and pain to joy and relief.

However, crying in space is a bit different from crying on Earth, thanks to the lack of gravity. Here on Earth, gravity pulls tears downwards, creating the familiar tear tracks we see running down our cheeks. In the microgravity environment of space, tears don't fall in the same way. Instead, they tend to clump together near the eye, forming a little ball of liquid.

Think about it like this: imagine placing a drop of water on a flat surface. The water doesn't run off; it beads up due to surface tension. Tears in space behave similarly.

Astronaut Chris Hadfield famously demonstrated this during his time on the International Space Station. He applied water to his eyes, simulating tears, and the water formed globules that stuck to his skin instead of dripping down.

Now, while astronauts can cry and tears do form, there's a possibility that the actual act of crying might feel different in space. Some astronauts have reported that without gravity pulling tears downwards, it can create an unusual sensation, almost like having water stuck in your eye.

Furthermore, some research suggests that microgravity might affect tear production itself. The exact mechanisms aren't fully understood yet, but it's possible that tears in space might be slightly thicker or more viscous than on Earth.

To summarize:

* Astronauts can cry in space. They experience the same emotions as anyone else, and crying is a natural physiological response.
* Tears don't fall in space like they do on Earth due to the absence of gravity. They form globules that stick to the eye.
* The sensation of crying might feel different in space due to the lack of familiar tear flow.
* Tear production itself might be affected by microgravity, but more research is needed.

Hopefully, this clears up any misconceptions about astronauts and crying in space!
read more >>

Thanks for nothing, space tears! ... Which is sad, but they'll never let it show--because astronauts can't cry in space. The Atlantic picked up on a tweet from the International Space Station, in which astronaut Chris Hadfield explained that our eyes will produce tears in space, but it isn't exactly a pleasant experience.read more >>