Microgravity aboard the International Space Station (ISS) makes life there dramatically different to how it is back on terra firma. Astronauts secure themselves with straps when they sleep, use a special suction cup when using the bathroom, and float from module to module rather than walk.
Indeed, NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick has just shared a video that he made of himself drifting through several modules, captured by a camera that floated hands-free just in front of him.
Dominick, who recorded the footage during his stay aboard the orbital outpost last year, said the footage “took a few takes to capture.”
The NASA astronaut explained that he started by pushing the camera out just in front of him. He can be seen making one adjustment to the camera in the first few seconds to steady it as it starts to spin. “Initially held onto the camera mounting bracket and pushed off (you can hear the bracket clinking),” Dominick wrote in a post on X that included the video. “Then carefully let it go so the camera floats with you through space station.”
Dominick said he flew from the aft end of “the lab” to the forward end of Node 2, also known as the Harmony module. By “the lab,” we think he means the Destiny module.
That means he flew a total distance of about 50 feet (about 15 meters) in around 20 seconds — covering the entire distance without banging his head of getting snagged on wires.
Dominick’s video offers a rare perspective of what daily life and movement look like inside the space station, highlighting the unique conditions that astronauts live and work in.
During his time aboard the ISS, Dominick earned a reputation for his photography skills, sharing a range of impressive photos and videos showing both the inside and outside of the orbital facility.
