Skip to main content

This is what happens when you push a GoPro into a floating water blob – in space

GoPro cameras are getting everywhere these days. Quadcoptersstraps, flexible suction cups and other such accessories mean the only thing between you and some stunning GoPro-shot footage is your imagination.

The latest say-what? footage to hit the Web is the work of three ISS astronauts – the European Space Agency’s Alexander Gerst and NASA’s Steve Swanson and Reid Wiseman – who had the idea of putting a GoPro inside a water bubble, apparently as part of an experiment “exploring water surface tension in microgravity” (well, they had to offer some kind of reason for having a bit of fun with a GoPro and a liquid blob).

Recommended Videos

Shot back in the summer but only just released, the video, complete with its easy-listening soundtrack, shows the astronauts carefully inserting the GoPro into the floating sphere of water.

Once inside, we’re treated to snippets of footage reminiscent of those ‘dream sequence’ shots in old movies involving wavy dissolves.

As the momentous and historic experiment comes to an end, there’s a moment of nail-biting drama as Wiseman attempts to extract the GoPro from the liquid sphere, but we’re happy to report that it all ends well.

And if you have a pair of 3D glasses hanging around (course you do), you can watch the entire sequence in 3D, too (below).

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
NASA hears Voyager ‘heartbeat’ as it tries to reconnect with spacecraft
An artist's concept of the Voyager 2 spacecraft

NASA has received a signal from the Voyager 2 spacecraft that it accidentally lost contact with on July 21.

Communications with the famous spacecraft, which launched in 1977 and is currently around 12.4 billion miles (19.9 billion kilometers) from Earth, were cut after NASA “inadvertently” sent it a command that caused its antenna to point 2 degrees away from Earth.

Read more
NASA’s skywatching tips for August include a famous meteor shower
samsung galaxy s21 ultra vs huawei p40 pro plus 10x zoom shootout moon

What's Up: August 2023 Skywatching Tips from NASA

NASA has just released its monthly update on what to look out for in the skies over the next few weeks, with Saturn, the Perseid meteors, and a "super blue moon" all featuring.
Saturn
With Venus and Mars having slipped from view for the time being, we can turn our gaze toward Saturn instead. The second planet in our solar system reaches opposition this month, meaning it's directly opposite the sun as seen from Earth. It'll be appearing just after sunset and will remain visible until dawn, giving us plenty of time to check it out. On the morning of August 3, Saturn will be viewable right beside the moon.

Read more
NASA reveals new date for Crew-7 mission to space station
The International Space Station pictured from the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour during a fly-around of the orbiting lab.

The four crew members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission inside SpaceX Hangar X at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. From left to right: Konstantin Borisov, Andreas Mogensen, Jasmin Moghbeli, and Satoshi Furukawa. SpaceX

UPDATE: NASA had moved the targeted launch date from August 17 to August 21. But it's now targeting Friday, August 25. This article has been updated to reflect the change.

Read more