Watch Ultra HD Video of a Colorful Water Blob in Space

If I had a chance to visit the International Space Station, there are lots of things I'd like to try, but high on the list is "goofing off in microgravity." When they're not performing actual science, the astronauts and cosmonauts on the ISS seem to feel the same.

On the ISS right now is a RED 4K camera, which shoots "Ultra HD" video, including slow-motion. In the video below, the crew put dye in a blob of water (because colors are beautiful), then added effervescent dissolving tablets (because bubbles are cool, and cause the sphere to deform in interesting ways). Yeah, it's basically goofing around. But it's goofing around in space, using cool gadgets!

NASA described the footage like so:

Astronauts on the International Space Station dissolved an effervescent tablet in a floating ball of water, and captured images using a camera capable of recording four times the resolution of normal high-definition cameras. The higher resolution images and higher frame rate videos can reveal more information when used on science investigations, giving researchers a valuable new tool aboard the space station. This footage is one of the first of its kind. The cameras are being evaluated for capturing science data and vehicle operations.

In any case, hit that 4K button (gear icon in the lower right of the player, on a desktop browser, choose the maximum size), go fullscreen, and behold our new blobby overlords! My favorite bit is watching the bubbles burst and fling tiny mini-blobs of water out of the mega-blob.

Also, because NASA is a government agency, you can download the gigantic RED 4K source file if you like.