Nasa Cat abuse

[sdowney717]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUIokQ36rbA&feature=related

Let's fling the cat against the wall and see what happens!

[chucky chuckaluck]

i have an odd suspicion that the cat might think that's fun. i doubt that guy would still have an arm left if it didn't.

[sydbat]

At first I thought it was my cat (looks exactly the same) and how they got her onto the 'vomit comet'. My cat would not be too happy about it, but chucky is likely right...the cat was probably enjoying it.

[Ralphie]

lool such a good idea

[sdowney717]

perhaps, It was funny enough to watch. Did you notice how when it was free floating it was spinning as it tried to right itself to land on it's feet.

[MikeTheC]

"Only a human could f--- up such a simple thing as 'gravity'."
-- Vomit Comet Cat

[sydbat]

"Only a human could f--- up such a simple thing as 'gravity'."
-- Vomit Comet CatYAY!! My new signature!!

[Wartooth]

I had a cat who would have LOVED that. He loved being way up high, he loved going for rides in cars, he loved going new places, meeting new people and anything adventurous. He would have been the perfect astrocat.

[klange]

Aren't the walls in the Vomit Comet padded?

[billgoldberg]

I had a cat who would have LOVED that. He loved being way up high, he loved going for rides in cars, he loved going new places, meeting new people and anything adventurous. He would have been the perfect astrocat.

That sounds like my cat (have her for a month now).

She's almost to cute for her own good (see pic).

[Swarms]

http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v346/173/118/1510401413/n1510401413_37143_3339.jpg
This kitty abuse must be terminated immediately! - my cat Anton

[frankleeee]

I can't imagine any cat enjoying almost zero gravity.

[MikeTheC]

I'd actually seen this video clip before. Prior to that, I'd always wondered how a cat would react to the absence of gravity, and kind of assumed the cat would react somewhat similarly to how the Vomit Comet Cat did. I'm guessing the cat wondered what happened to "down". I mean, imagine a cat up on the I.S.S. Just think about it. How would a cat walk from A to B, when there is no "floor" to walk on?

I'm thinking one could create a harness with a pair of side-mounted tethers which are tied to a set of axels, each of which has a pair of strong magnet wheels on it, short enough to pull the cat down to the "walking surface" but with enough elasticity so the cat can stand on all fours and walk as close to natural as they're used to.

Conversely, what if you raised a cat in space from a kitten? Hmm? Sure, there would always be the in-built tendency to want to walk, but when they learned how to maneuver around (say, using claws and gripping on things) it might then be interesting to see how they cope with gravity.

So, how do we get this kind of study approved?

[kevin11951]

I'd actually seen this video clip before. Prior to that, I'd always wondered how a cat would react to the absence of gravity, and kind of assumed the cat would react somewhat similarly to how the Vomit Comet Cat did. I'm guessing the cat wondered what happened to "down". I mean, imagine a cat up on the I.S.S. Just think about it. How would a cat walk from A to B, when there is no "floor" to walk on?

I'm thinking one could create a harness with a pair of side-mounted tethers which are tied to a set of axels, each of which has a pair of strong magnet wheels on it, short enough to pull the cat down to the "walking surface" but with enough elasticity so the cat can stand on all fours and walk as close to natural as they're used to.

Conversely, what if you raised a cat in space from a kitten? Hmm? Sure, there would always be the in-built tendency to want to walk, but when they learned how to maneuver around (say, using claws and gripping on things) it might then be interesting to see how they cope with gravity.

So, how do we get this kind of study approved?

that would have to break at least 200 different moral laws/codes.

[magmon]

Thats funny in a cruel kind of way lol.

[sdowney717]

growing up in a zero gravity environment would lead to incredibly weak bones and muscles. Your bones actually loose strength in a few days.
Exercise makes your body stronger and simply living out day by day in gravity keeps you alive. How about if you could live in an artificially raised gravity field, then when going out into normal gravity, you would be incredibly strong.

I wonder how an astronaut on a deep space mission would maintain body mass. Even exercise is not enough, they loose mass anyway. Putting yourself into a deep sleep to travel a vast distance, you might wake up and not be able to move. I suppose if you could freeze someone and shut it all down, then if you could ever be reactivated then you would be normal.

[dannytatom]

She's almost to cute for her own good (see pic).

That is one of the cutest pictures I've seen. :o

[ZuLuuuuuu]

This video is not so cruel and it is normal too wonder how the cat would react when he is "flying" like that. But the guy throws the cat a little bit too fast, which is annoying.

[chucky chuckaluck]

my first cat, walter, used to like being launched onto the bed. after he landed, he would bounce off the bed and come back for more. if we didn't comply, out came the claws.

[elmer_42]

How about if you could live in an artificially raised gravity field, then when going out into normal gravity, you would be incredibly strong.

Your bones actually loose strength in a few days.
I think you answered your own question here.

[sydbat]

How about if you could live in an artificially raised gravity field, then when going out into normal gravity, you would be incredibly strong.The whole idea behind Superman.

[Swarms]

And Son Goku ;), god I hate that cartoon.

[cammin]

The whole idea behind Superman.

I was thinking the same thing. (It doesn't explain the flying, though. I'll chalk xray/heat vision up to evolution, but flying still doesn't make sense. At best he would be able to jump really far, like that green guy in those Hulk movies.)


As for the video, I don't think a person would handle being thrown against a wall, then unexplicably floating, any better than the cat did.

[Swarms]

But, when the human limbs are only used through evolution to cope with earth gravity, won't they be worn out very fast when used in tougher environments?

Exoskeletons is the answer!

[magmon]

Lol.. But then we'd have a bunch of master chiefs running around.

[ddnev45]

I was thinking the same thing. (It doesn't explain the flying, though. I'll chalk xray/heat vision up to evolution, but flying still doesn't make sense. At best he would be able to jump really far, like that green guy in those Hulk movies.)


As for the video, I don't think a person would handle being thrown against a wall, then unexplicably floating, any better than the cat did.

He couldn't fly originally, only "leap tall buildings in a single bound".

[PartisanEntity]

i have an odd suspicion that the cat might think that's fun. i doubt that guy would still have an arm left if it didn't.

To be honest I don't really care about the cat, but I doubt it has the mental capacity to understand where it is and what has happened, hence I doubt that it is fun. I simply wanted to respond to your comment :)

[Tamlynmac]

PartisanEntity
To be honest I don't really care about the cat, but I doubt it has the mental capacity to understand where it is and what has happened, hence I doubt that it is fun. I simply wanted to respond to your comment :smile:

I guess it beats a burlap sack and a river.:lolflag:

[magmon]

LOL, HAHA! Thats absolutely horrible, but rediculously funny xD.

[Gorgoth]

I lol'd.

It's weird, but I suspect cats do have at least some capacity for pleasure/fun. Otherwise, I doubt my cat would come back after being slid across a freshly waxed floor...

Fur + Wax + Wooden Floor = frictionless kitty? :D

Also, I bet large cats/obese cats would appreciate lower gravity...

[MikeTheC]

Would a frictionless cat actually be a desirable goal to realize? In an unmodified feline, with sufficient bi-pedal locomotion and interaction with other surfaces, one could possibly harness the power of static electricity. Considering the typical humidity levels maintained aboard manned spacecraft (I want to say 25% comes to mind), it should be relatively trivial to derive a benefit from this natural phenomenon.

As I see it, a frictionless cat would be counter-productive in harnessing this potential energy source. Presumably, however, it might be practical to try and convince the feline contingent to wear some kind of protective gear on the pads of their paws, though I believe this will be quite a tough sell. If my own experiences with human-feline relations are typical, cats oftentimes fail to appreciate many of the environment manipulation which humans engage in for their benefit.

Now, somewhat tangentially related to this is the feline need for survivalist hunter instinct, which clearly could be threatened by a permanently weightless environment if appropriately controlled experiential education does not take place. Moreover, cats require a lot of extra time accommodating such things as miniaturized pressure suits which contain multiple layers. Clearly, for instance, their claws (which are otherwise quite useful) could become a sticking point and might require more-ingenious design of the paw-gloves on such a suit. Clearly, the suits would also of necessity need to be engineered in a way that allows for longitudinal torquing forces along the torso portion of the suit imparted during instances of re-acclimatization and re-orientation.

And in any of this, has anyone stopped to consider what the most effective method would be for providing nourishment? This is an aspect which cannot go overlooked.