5 Coolest Space Experiments You Need to See

The International Space Station is a modular space station in low Earth orbit. It is the largest artificial object in space and the largest satellite, which is visible to the naked eye from Earth's surface.

It’s been 20 years since the first components of the International Space Station were launched from Earth. Orbiting the planet every 90 minutes at about 250 miles above Earth’s surface, the ISS has been the cornerstone of NASA’s mission for much of these last two decades.

The ISS isn’t orbiting without a purpose. It’s also been home to thousands of science experiments that seek to understand life among the stars or to give us unique insights into life here on Earth.

As an orbiting laboratory, the International Space Station offers researchers around the world the unique opportunity to perform experiments in microgravity and under the rigors of the space environment.

Currently, a crew of scientists are conducting scientific experiments in areas such as astrobiology, astronomy, meteorology, physics, and other fields. One major focus right now is discovering ways to protect astronauts from radiation.

Scientists have used the station for everything from testing technology for future space exploration to studying human health. Sometimes their work involves some pretty unusual experiments. Here are five cool space experiments you need to see.

0:00 The International Space Station
1:35 5. GoPro in a Water Bubble
2:49 4. Spinning in Space
4:32 3. Ping Pong in Space
5:27 2. Dyeing Floating Water
6:26 1. Playing with Water Flims

Credit: NASA/ESA