[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ni4j5K4Lz3o&feature=player_embedded]
Ever wonder what astronauts do in space? Yo yo tricks. OK, fine, that’s not the only thing these highly trained space explorers undertake while they are loitering in orbit, but they’re definitely the most entertaining. You’ll never catch Curiosity pulling these tricks over on Mars, that’s for sure.
(MORE: Live From Mars)
In this video, NASA Astronaut Don Pettit uses his free time on board the International Space Station to practice a few schoolyard yo-yo tricks with an anti-gravity twist. It turns out that when you remove that pesky gravity from the equation, you end up with a whole new array of fun tricks to show off — and give “around the world” a whole new meaning. The video takes pains to make clear that Pettit was off duty when he was showing off his skills, which they dress up by calling experiments in “microgravity.” When you put it that way, these yo-yo tricks sound worthy of NASA funding.
MORE: Last Launch: Dan Winters and the Shuttle Program