Watch: Astronaut Sunita Williams Serves Up A Lesson In Zero-Gravity Hydration

Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams recently held an online session with students from the Sunita Williams Elementary School in her hometown of Needham, Massachusetts, US. During the event, she gave the students a peek into the lesser-known aspects of life on the International Space Station (ISS), including the unique way astronauts drink fluids in zero gravity. Imagine sipping your morning coffee, but instead of holding a cup, you use a specially designed pouch that keeps your drink neatly contained as it floats weightlessly. That's the reality for astronauts aboard the ISS.
Sunita Williams said that in space, any kind of fluid doesn't behave the same way as it does on Earth, and then went on to highlight the challenge of keeping beverages under control in microgravity. Without the forces of gravity, liquids don't fall into a cup but rather drift in all directions - a potential mess that can be both inconvenient and hazardous in a confined space.
According to Sunita Williams, to avoid this mess, astronauts utilise a specialised pouch that stops liquids from floating away. She then went on to show how astronauts consume fluids from these pouches, which have one-way valves and straws integrated into them. "It was quite a unique challenge for me," Williams said as she showed how it's done.
Also Read: Watch: US Astronaut's Bizarre Ketchup-Eating Trick In Space Has The Internet Talking

Watch the full video here:

A student gets a demonstration from astronaut, Sunita Williams on how to drink liquids in space. Williams and Barry "Butch" Wilmore hit the six-month mark in space after becoming the first to ride Boeing's new Starliner capsule on what was supposed to be a week-long test flight.… pic.twitter.com/1UQSgvcHsN— Francynancy (@FranMooMoo) December 6, 2024

This interactive session was much more than just learning how to drink in space. Students engaged eagerly, asking questions and soaking up knowledge about life aboard the ISS, where space food and hydration practices are anything but ordinary. For these young learners, seeing an astronaut's daily routine - including the clever ways they consume liquids - was a window into a world where culinary ingenuity meets space-age necessity.
Also Read: "Flying Chocolate Snack Is The Best": How Astronauts Celebrated World Chocolate Day In Space
Sunita Williams continues to remain a source of inspiration and knowledge, with this segment illustrating how astronauts must innovate and adapt everyday activities for life in space, highlighting their ingenuity. However, Sunita Williams' stay on the ISS involves much more than just drinking from specialized pouches. As a member of the ISS's Expedition 32 crew, the astronaut is getting ready for her next significant milestone - a spacewalk.