Crying is a fundamental part of life, an emotional trait to show sadness, pain, or even joy. For psychologists, far from being a sign of weakness, it is a coping mechanism and form of mental hygiene. But what happens when it happens in space, hundreds of kilometers from Earth, and you are an astronaut on a mission?
They are prepared to fight tremendous conditions, literally out of this world, but crying from time to time is a valid astronaut reaction. Feeling pain, missing home, worrying about a certain situation, expressing stress.
They will always have the support of their colleagues in space and the professionals of the aerospace agencies on Earth.
However, beyond the emotional issue, there is the physical. The lack of gravity affects tears in a curious way.
This is how the lack of gravity influences the act of crying, according to an astronaut
He explained it at the time Chris Hadfield, a retired Canadian astronaut who was part of space missions on both the STS Shuttle and the International Space Station.
Someone once asked him what it was like to cry in space and, we imagine that from a personal experience, he explained it on Twitter:
@dkiazyk Can you cry in space? Your eyes make tears but they stick as a liquid ball. In fact, they sting a bit. So-space tears don’t shed.
—Chris Hadfield (@Cmdr_Hadfield) January 8, 2013
“Can you cry in space? Your eyes make tears, but they stick together like a liquid ball. In fact, they sting a bit. So space tears are not shed.” Hadfield explained when asked by a user.
The tears are a liquid that cleans and lubricates the eyes, with the function of protecting the ocular surface, especially the cornea. The secretion is salty, so by staying in the eye in space… it burns.
It is not the same to cry inside the station than in the middle of a space walk
In the middle of a seven-hour spacewalk, astronaut Andrew Feustel felt something get into one of his eyes, bringing tears to his eyes. It happened in 2011, as he told The Atlantic.
One of those flakes, the liquid ball Hadfield was talking about, stuck in his right eye. He tipped off his EVA partner, Mike Fincke: “Just for information, my right eye is burning like crazy right now. He is tearing up a lot. He must have received something,” Feustel said.
Fincke’s response: “Sorry, mate.”
It was all I could do. With the helmet, it was very difficult to move the ball of salty liquid.
However, there was a solution. Inside the spacesuit is a spongy device to block the nose in case of a pressure readjustment. Making a cumbersome move, Feustel used the device to rub his eye out of the jam.
So let’s relieve ourselves for crying on Earth, because in space it can become a tormenting experience.
