Sun, Jul 17, 2011

In Space, No One Can Hear You ... Whistle

And There's A Perfectly Good Scientific Explanation

Astronauts getting set for EVAs aboard the International Space Station may really enjoy their work, but you won't hear them whistling as they exit the airlock to work outside the station.

"You hear humming," astronaut Jim Rielly told ABC News, "but not whistling."

The phenomenon was first noticed by former astronaut Dan Barry, who reportedly tried whistling during an EVA in May, 1999. Barry consulted with Mission Control, who told him that it's a simple matter of air pressure.

It seems that space suits are pressurized to 4.3 psi, where normal atmospheric pressure is 14.7 psi. There are simply not enough air molecules passing through the embouchure of your lips to make any sound.

Barry said had he been able to whistle, the tune he would have chosen was "Whistle While You Work."

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In Space, No One Can Hear You ... Whistle

And There's A Perfectly Good Scientific Explanation

FMI: www.nasa.gov

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