a few random space facts

I love a good random fact. My notebooks are full of info I stumble upon, such as this quote (sadly, I don't remember where I found it):

Technically a space suit protects an astronaut from nothing.

Here are three more space related random facts that have been on my mind recently.

1 - those hissing cockroaches in orbit

In 2006, Genesis I was launched into space. It was an experimental inflatable habitat carrying four Madagascar hissing cockroaches. Not sure why they picked cockroaches, but it sounds like a premise for a horror movie where giant, irradiated and angry cockroaches return to Earth bent on revenge. The first time I heard of this I assumed it wasn't true--but it is.

Because one group of space cockroaches isn't enough, in 2007, Genesis II launched with another batch.

Just in case you need something to worry about in the middle of the night, as of January 2021 both spacecraft are still in orbit--but the orbits are decaying.

2 - early spacesuits needed help from bra makers

It turns out the early spacesuits were made by hand (as someone who sews this is fascinating to me which is why this book is in my to be read pile). Each suits required sewing many layers together with extreme precision. The International Latex Corporation won the contract to make these suits because they had experience making complex garments containing multiple layers--experience gained through making bras as Playtex. Even though I've watched a million documentaries about the early US space program, this fact never seems to come up.

3 - Channel 37

When I was a kid we lived with analogue TV. The old CRT set we had came with a dial we could use to switch between channels. We didn't have cable, so the best I could hope for was reception to three or four channels on single digit channels.

In turns out in some areas (probably not where I grew up), the transmission on TV channels could interfere with radio telescopes--the kind that were listening for stars (or aliens) that emit in the radio frequency spectrum. Here's a fascinating article on the topic.