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Fun in Zero-G: Weightless Photos from Earth and Space

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Koichi Wakata: Green Apple in Space

Koichi Wakata (via Twitter as @Astro_Wakata)

Weightlessness is arguable one of the most amazing parts of space travel, despite the physical and engineering challenges it poses for astronauts. And it can be a lot of fun, too. Check out some amazing photos of astronauts and civilians in weightlessness in this Space.com gallery. Here: This image of a green apple was taken by JAXA astronaut Koichi Wakata aboard the International Space Station on Feb. 6, 2014. Wakata tweeted the haiku: “Smell of the Earth, from the fresh green apples, just arrived on Progress.

Click the arrow for more images.

Balloon animals on ISS

Randy Bresnik/NASA/Twitter

Balloon animals float around in the Cupola window on the International Space Station. NASA astronaut and Expedition 53 Cmdr. Randy Bresnik made the balloon animals to entertain his kids during family videoconferences.

Hadfield Looks Through Water Droplet

NASA

Canadian Space Agency astronaut Chris Hadfield, Expedition 34 flight engineer, watches a water bubble float freely between him and the camera, showing his image refracted, in the Unity node of the International Space Station. Image released Jan. 21, 2013.

Zero-G Fires: UCSD Microgravity Team

SPACE.com/Cady Coleman

Student engineers Daneesha Kenyon (left), Jack Goodwin (center) and Sam Avery (center right) with the UCSD Microgravity Team study biofuel fires in weightlessness during NASA Microgravity University flight on a ZERO-G flight based out of Ellington Field, Houston on July 19, 2013. NASA astronaut Mike Fossum (bottom left in blue flight suit) and SPACE.com's Tariq Malik (far right) observe the experiment. Astronaut Cady Coleman took this photo.

Model Kate Upton Floats in Weightlessness #2

Sports Illustrated

Model Kate Upton floats in weightlessness during a photo shoot for Sports Illustrated's 2014 swimsuit issue. Image uploaded Feb. 18, 2014. [Read the Full Story Here]

Model Kate Upton Floats in Weightlessness #1

Sports Illustrated

Model Kate Upton floats in weightlessness during a photo shoot for Sports Illustrated's 2014 swimsuit issue. Image uploaded Feb. 18, 2014. [Read the Full Story Here]

A Tasty Demonstration

NASA

NASA astronaut Sandra Magnus floats fresh fruit on the middeck of the space shuttle Endeavour as crewmate Shane Kimbrough looks on in November 2008.

Fire in Space Experiment: ISS

NASA/Glenn Research Center

This series of images shows an example of fires burning in a special zero gravity chamber as part of an experiment for the International Space Station. Image posted July 3, 2012.

Stephen Hawking in Zero Gravity

ZERO-G

Professor Stephen Hawking experiences the freedom of weightlessness during a zero gravity flight.

G-Force One: Zero Gravity Flights

Zero Gravity Corp.

G-Force One is a modified Boeing 727 for commercial weightless flights.

Now Boarding: Zero G Flights for the Public

Zero Gravity Corp

The airborne roller coaster is a specially modified 727.

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Tariq Malik
Tariq Malik
Editor-in-Chief

Tariq is the Editor-in-Chief of Space.com and joined the team in 2001, first as an intern and staff writer, and later as an editor. He covers human spaceflight, exploration and space science, as well as skywatching and entertainment. He became Space.com's Managing Editor in 2009 and Editor-in-Chief in 2019. Before joining Space.com, Tariq was a staff reporter for The Los Angeles Times covering education and city beats in La Habra, Fullerton and Huntington Beach. In October 2022, Tariq received the Harry Kolcum Award for excellence in space reporting from the National Space Club Florida Committee. He is also an Eagle Scout (yes, he has the Space Exploration merit badge) and went to Space Camp four times as a kid and a fifth time as an adult. He has journalism degrees from the University of Southern California and New York University. You can find Tariq at Space.com and as the co-host to the This Week In Space podcast with space historian Rod Pyle on the TWiT network. To see his latest project, you can follow Tariq on Twitter @tariqjmalik.