Whisker Cleaning Time
Posted on Jan 25, 2012 04:09:32 PM | Don Pettit | 7 Comments    |
I have never been able to shave with a safety razor without slicing my face, so I use a rotary electric razor instead. In weightlessness they work just as well, and the whiskers are captured inside the shaving head. But how does one clean out the whiskers in weightlessness? On Earth, you simply open the head and shake them out. Doing that up here would be a disaster. So once a week, when vacuuming the accumulation of lint, dust, and detritus against the air inlet filters, I vacuum my razor. I hold the vacuum cleaner hose between my legs, and use both hands to carefully open the shaving head in front of the suction. A cloud of whiskers jumps out, appearing like a miniature asteroid field, then quickly disappears into a black hole, with no chance of escape.

Tags : astronauts, international space station  

Post a new comment (comments are moderated for this post)

Comment notes

Keep comments relevant. Inappropriate or offensive comments may be edited and/or deleted. Avoid adding Web site URLs.

Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br/>. Quotes, apostrophes, and double-dashes are automatically converted to smart punctuation. Be careful when copying and pasting portions of entries or other comments.


 * :Type the characters you see in the picture.
 Word verification image
   Refresh

Avoid clicking “Post” more than once. Response may take a few seconds.

7 Comments so far ( Post your own )
7 On Apr 28, 2012 06:18:55 PM  BubamaraMama  added a comment on your blog post. 

Entertaining and informative yet again. We are following you with glee and high hopes.
This razor cleaning would be a cool video!!
Holly (and three small boys) in SC

6 On Apr 29, 2012 04:25:14 PM  Queen of the Universe  added a comment on your blog post. 

Dear Don,

Seems some of those miniature vacuum heads would come in handy up there. ;)

Peace,
Angie

5 On Feb 28, 2012 07:51:06 AM  Chris TRUE  added a comment on your blog post. 

Thats great.It would make a good gift material also.

4 On Feb 19, 2012 12:54:51 AM  Nicole Slinder  added a comment on your blog post. 

You made some good points there. I did a search on the topic and found that most people will agree with you.

3 On Jan 29, 2012 08:24:57 PM  Marisa Gertz  added a comment on your blog post. 

This post blew up my mind. So nice!

2 On Jan 29, 2012 08:21:24 PM  Alex t.  added a comment on your blog post. 

When I was young, even today, sometimes I wish I was an astronaut.
And then I learned more about space travel and what that entail.

I got scared and stressed out.

But you know, sometimes I wish I lived in space. Kind of.

<3

1 On Jan 27, 2012 06:28:59 PM  Linda  added a comment on your blog post. 

Love the description of such a simple task. Cleaning a razor on earth will never be as interesting.

Search Blogs
 
 
Browse by Year

Browse by Author