Those spacesuits orbiting astronomers wear aren’t for burping. Some might think that an astronaut could burp in space without a problem, but science has revealed why you can’t do it.
A user on Twitter identifying himself as Greg Switzer (@G_Switzer) asked Chris Hadfield, a Canadian astronaut, if the statement on the inside of a drink cap was true: “Astronauts can’t even burp in space”.
The best example for scientists is that of soft drinks. Typically, when we drink soft drinks, the carbon dioxide leaves the body in the form of a belch and we don’t take in much of the gas. Nevertheless, If an astronaut were to drink soda in space, they would be taking in a lot more CO2 because they can’t escape the liquid as easily..
The above can cause a lot more burping, which can be difficult in space. When burps are generated in space, they are generally there is some liquid that accompanies themsince liquids and gases have a harder time separating in space.
What does the expert think?
Hadfield, with two space missions in 1995 and 2001 on his resume, as the report from T13confirmed the phrase on the cover and scientifically explained why astronauts cannot burp in space, coinciding with the scientific theory described above.
The expert wrote: “You can’t burp in space because the air, food, and liquids in your stomach float together like thick bubbles. If you burp, you vomit in your mouth. So guess where the trapped air goes?”.
You can’t burp in space because the air, food and liquids in your stomach are all floating together like chunky bubbles. If you burp, you throw up into your mouth. So guess where the trapped air goes? https://t.co/4ZPMY9ixVA
—Chris Hadfield (@Cmdr_Hadfield) November 2, 2018
This also answers why astronauts don’t take carbonated drinks with them on their space missions, since the gas that forms the bubbles in soft drinks is carbon dioxide.
For a soda to be a soda, these bubbles need to be able to rise to the top of the drink to release that CO2, and for this to work, the force of gravity is needed to pull the bubbles out of the heavier liquid. In the space, the bubbles are scattered randomly through the soda, which is likely to turn into foam.