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The Physics of Zero-G Whipped Cream

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the government-spending-at-work dept.

SpaceAdmiral writes "An experiment on the Space Shuttle Columbia has been analyzing your ice cream sundae. Or, rather, it looked at the phenomenon of 'shear thinning,' which explains why whipped cream comes out of the can like a liquid, but sits atop your sundae like a solid. The experiment actually involved shear thinning of xenon, a substance used in ion rocket engines, but whipped cream tastes better." I'm not sure it was cost effective to fly Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass into low earth orbit either, but hey, it's NASA — who am I to judge?

30 of 80 comments (clear)

  1. Coming soon... by carlvlad · · Score: 5, Funny

    2 astronauts, 1 cup...

    1. Re:Coming soon... by Adambomb · · Score: 2

      Ah yes, the critical point at which the material is considered both a liquid and a gas...

      Horrible how that can remain close to on topic heh.

      --
      Ice Cream has no bones.
  2. a long time ago by wingome · · Score: 3, Funny

    Herb Alpert - Whipped Cream - someone is showing their age. Me too I guess.

    1. Re:a long time ago by Adambomb · · Score: 4, Funny

      And for the next experiment....Love Potion #9.

      For sale now on pay per view and direct to home dvd.

      --
      Ice Cream has no bones.
    2. Re:a long time ago by wass · · Score: 2

      Good thing they had the wisdom not to go with their original album title "Sheer Thinning and Other Delights". I think it was Zorba the Geek that gave them that advice.

      --

      make world, not war

    3. Re:a long time ago by shark72 · · Score: 2, Funny

      Yup. My guess is that for most readers, it's not just the space shuttle that's whooshing way overhead.

      --
      Sitting in my day care, the art is decopainted.
    4. Re:a long time ago by Demolition · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Well, that brings back a memory.

      Whipped Cream was one of the first albums I remember my Dad playing when I was a kid. He gave me his old bongo set (yes, bongos... this was the '60s, after all) and I'd play along with drums on the more upbeat tunes like "Peanuts".

      Back on topic... There could be lots of uses for this new info about shear-thinning. The article mentions improved motor oils and better liquid plastics. I've read that this research could apply to better wall adherence for paints, and other applications in the food industry (not just for whipped cream).

      It's good to see something immediately applicable come out of space-based experiments. It helps to legitimize (in the public's mind) the funding that is given to NASA.

  3. I prefer the taste of honey though. by quesarah · · Score: 2

    Oh sure... http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/da/HA_WhippedCream.jpg

  4. Re:There's an interesting summary by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2

    Mod down parent. Dodgy link, click at your own peril.

  5. Troll by T-Bone-T · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Just because the effect can be seen in food doesn't mean it shouldn't be studied.

    1. Re:Troll by MyLongNickName · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I guess my question is why this cannot be studied on a vomit comet instead of waiting very precious resources on a space shuttle.

      --
      See my journal for slashdot ID's by year. Mine created in 2005. http://slashdot.org/journal/289875/slashdot-ids-by-year
    2. Re:Troll by Feanturi · · Score: 3, Informative

      By measuring how strongly the fluid resisted the movement of this paddle, the experiment could determine the xenon's thickness. CVX-2 searched for changes in this thickness as it slowly changed the speed of the stirring and the temperature of the fluid.

      My guess is that they needed to keep constant freefall for more than just a minute or so at a time.

  6. You know... by InMSWeAntitrust · · Score: 2, Insightful

    ...with only a fraction of a percent of the national budget NASA is making groundbreaking (not being sarcastic) research; Imagine the leaps and bounds they would make with late 1960's percentages. I personally can't wait to see some of the applications of the research still being done at the fund-starved NASA.

    1. Re:You know... by crispin_bollocks · · Score: 2, Funny

      NASA obviously needs a Czar, and a War on Space

    2. Re:You know... by davolfman · · Score: 2, Funny

      We need an "I support the War on Space" t-shirt.

    3. Re:You know... by CastrTroy · · Score: 2, Informative

      Well, that's exactly what happened in the 60s. They had this big space race with Russia, and had to prove they were better than the "commies". This means they got well funded, and the people working for NASA had a lot of motivation to do a good job. Currently there is no real incentive for NASA to show anyone else up. In 1961, just a few months after the first human was put in space (by the commies) Kennedy said they would have a man on the moon, and return him safely by the end of the decade. And they did it. Now they are talking about maybe sending someone to the moon again in 2018. Which is further off than Kennedy's original timeline, and probably less believable. It almost seems as though spaceflight has taken a step back since the 60s. If 1/2 the budget of the Iraq war was spent on space, we'd be on Mars by now.

      --

      Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
  7. objectivity please by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    > The experiment actually involved shear thinning of xenon, a substance used in ion rocket engines, but whipped cream tastes better.

    let's stay objective and keep personal opinions out of this

  8. Ice Cream Sundae?! by Yvan256 · · Score: 5, Funny

    An experiment on the Space Shuttle Columbia has been analyzing your ice cream sundae.
    I'm lactose-intolerant, you insensitive clod!

    1. Re:Ice Cream Sundae?! by drinkypoo · · Score: 2, Informative

      Real Ice Cream (not ice milk, or ice-milk-and-cream) has almost no lactose in it. Practically no one makes the stuff, of course. Buy an ice cream maker, and make your own. you won't save any money but the stuff will be dramatically better. It's also low-carb if you use a substitute for sugar (I like Splenda/Sucralose.)

      I know you were just trying to be funny. Try harder next time :)

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    2. Re:Ice Cream Sundae?! by AikonMGB · · Score: 2, Funny

      An experiment on the Space Shuttle Columbia has been analyzing your ice cream sundae.
      I'm lactose-intolerant, you insensitive clod!

      You expect us to care about someone who is themselves admittedly intolerant of others?

      Aikon-

    3. Re:Ice Cream Sundae?! by ip_vjl · · Score: 3, Funny

      >> low carb

      Not really. Fat is over twice the calories as sugar - removing the sugar would only reduce the calories by about 20-25%.



      I don't think that word means what you think it means.
  9. Re:lactose intolerance? by petes_PoV · · Score: 3, Funny

    so just because you suffer a reaction if you eat something, no-one else in the world is allowed to mention it? Who made you king of the internet

    --
    politicians are like babies' nappies: they should both be changed regularly and for the same reasons
  10. Not Whipped Cream by John+Hasler · · Score: 3, Insightful

    > ...whipped cream comes out of the can...

    That's "dessert topping" (it may also be a floor wax). Whipped cream does not come in a can.

    --
    Warning: this article may contain humor, sarcasm, parody, and perhaps even irony. Read at your own risk.
    1. Re:Not Whipped Cream by ix42 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      "Ingredient: Cream. Propellant: Nitrogen"

      You just have to be careful which can you buy.

  11. Re:NASA in Association with Vivid Entertainment by Siridar · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Oh, that's already been done. Almost 10 years ago now:

    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0310288/

    For those of you too lazy to click on the link - its a porn film from a company called Private. Set during a space program, it was notable for the time for featuring a zero-G uh, "explosion" from one of the male characters. From memory, the production company booked the "vomit comet" - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vomit_Comet the article I read about the subject described "...cast and crew scrambling out of the way of the gently floating blobs..." - A visual that has stuck with me (no pun intended) ever since I read it...

  12. to properly study this by nguy · · Score: 5, Funny

    To properly study the physics of whipped cream in zero G, I need the Swedish woman's volleyball team as... assistants.

  13. Re:Am I the only one by multisync · · Score: 2, Interesting
    It is a little odd, but it's actually the experiment that is being referred to (unless they've changed it since you wrote that).

    Speaking of the Columbia, I found this quite interesting:

    Most of the data from the experiment, called Critical Viscosity of Xenon-2 (CVX-2), was beamed down to scientists on the ground before the shuttle's destruction during reentry into Earth's atmosphere. Remarkably, the hard drive from the experiment survived the disaster and was found amid the wreckage, and technicians were able to recover the rest of the data.


    It doesn't make me feel any better about the loss of Columbia but at least their work survived as a legacy.
    --
    I don't care why you're posting AC
  14. who are you to judge.... by the+brown+guy · · Score: 3, Insightful

    but hey it's NASA, who am I to judge?
    A taxpayer...
    --
    Orbis terrarum est non altus satis
  15. Your application has been accepted by maroberts · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...but due to a translation error, the Volleyball team was replaced by the Russian Womens weightlifting team.

    --

    Donte Alistair Anderson Roberts - hi son!
    Karma: Chameleon

    1. Re:Your application has been accepted by Rhinobird · · Score: 2, Funny

      Shaving cream, whipped cream, whatever.

      --
      If Mr. Edison had thought smarter he wouldn't sweat as much. --Nikola Tesla