Rituals of a Rocket Launch

From the creator

Why do astronauts pee on the wheel of a bus before they take off? Do superstitious traditions really help astronauts about to fire into space? Kevin Fong investigates. Day 15 of A Place Called Space, our 2015 advent calendar: http://rigb.org/advent As Tim Peake launches to the ISS, we take a look at the strange traditions, rituals and superstitions that astronauts dutifully carry out before any flight into space. Following in the footsteps of Yuri Gagarin, they echo his actions and pay respects to those that have flown before them. But given that space travel is the culmination of decades of work of scientists and engineers, do these irrational quirks have a place and purpose? Maybe – just as athletes build confidence and assurance by carrying out certain pre-game habits, so too can astronauts, as they struggle to feel a sense of control over the daunting prospect of being fired into space. ‘A Place Called Space’ is the 2015 Royal Institution advent calendar. Every day in the run up to Christmas we'll be releasing an original piece of content exploring the human experience and cultural significance of space travel. With hand-drawn animations, experiments in zero gravity, interviews with astronauts and creative data visualisations, the calendar will fire you into space every morning. 'A Place Called Space' channels the voices of seasoned astronauts and expert scientists through the eyes of a team of talented animators, film-makers and artists, bringing you a thought-provoki

Published 2015-12-15 · Watch on YouTube ↗
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