In recent years there is a lot of talk about tourist trips to space. This fact has led us to ask ourselves … How do astronauts weigh themselves in space if there is no gravity? We explain the curious method they use to control their weight.
Since there is no force of gravity in outer space, astronauts use a device to calculate their body mass, the BMMD. It is an anatomical saddle mounted on a frame by means of a spring system in which the astronaut sits and is held firmly with harnesses. The corresponding mechanism starts the saddle and it begins to oscillate rhythmically .
From the speed of the pendulum motion, a computer deduces the body mass of the cosmonaut. To obtain its weight, this figure is multiplied by the average value of the acceleration of Earth's gravity, which is 9.8 m / s2.
