Top Ten Common Science Myths Space Missions
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Top Ten Common Science Myths

NicoleBreanne NicoleBreanne 43,007 views 10 items
It's hard to tell fact from fiction, especially when it comes to Science. There are several topics that are commonly regarded as scientific fact but are actually myths. Lightning never strikes the same place twice, the five second rule, all of these are commonly regarded as truths some people live there life by it, but it's all made up. Here is a list of the top ten most common science myths.
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  1. 1

    There Is No Gravity In Space


    A very common image in everyone's brain is an astronaut jumping around on the moon like it was a trampoline in his backyard. Bouncing around in space without a care, and without gravity. But that's a load of bull because there is gravity in space – a lot of it. The reason that astronauts appear to be weightless is because they are orbiting the earth. They are falling towards the earth but moving sufficiently sideways to miss it.

    Part of me is convinced that astronaut training is just a bunch of guys in a room reading Douglas Adams, at the heart of this theory is what Adams says is the knack to flying, "The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. That is, it's going to hurt if you fail to miss the ground. Most people fail to miss the ground, and if they are really trying properly, the likelihood is that they will fail to miss it fairly hard." So, basically astronauts figured out how to fly in space and that makes them even cooler than they already were.


    But I digress, another interesting fact is that when a shuttle reaches orbit height (around 250 miles above the earth), gravity is reduced by only 10%, which means space is like being in a bounce house 24/7. There is still gravity in a bounce house and there is gravity in space.
  2. 2

    Lightning Will Never Strike The Same Place Twice

    What a bunch of hogwash! Lightning does strike the same place twice – in fact it is very common. This one is all about common sense, lightning does favors certain areas such as high trees or buildings. The reason being that they are tall and easy to strike, simple right? So, in a large field, the tallest object is likely to be struck multiple times until the lightning moves sufficiently far away to find a new target. The Empire State Building gets struck around 25 times a year. So take that cliched proverb!
  3. 3

    Meteors Are Heated By Friction When Entering The Atmosphere


    Anyone who as ever been cold has rubbed their hands together to generate warmth. The rubbing of two objects together creates friction which in turn produces heat. It would make sense to think that when a meteoroid comes crashing into earth it's friction that makes it turn into a fireball, but that's not true. When a meteoroid enters the atmosphere the speed compressing the air in front of the flying object that causes it to heat up. Just like with your hands the fast your move them the more it heats up. The pressure on the air generates a heat intense enough to make the rock so hot that is glows bright enough for our viewing pleasure.

    Another myth is that meteors are hot when they hit the earth. Meteorites are almost always cold when they hit – and in fact they are often found covered in frost. This is because they are so cold from their journey through space that the entry heat is not sufficient to do more than burn off the outer layers.
  4. 4

    A Penny Dropped From A Tall Building Can Kill A Person Walking Below


    The myth is if you drop a penny from the top of a tall building (like the Empire State Building) – it will gather up enough speed to kill a person if it lands on them.The fact is, the aerodynamics of a penny ain't that great, it's like putting a spoiler on a Honda...Hollywood can pretend Civics's are racing cars but it's still a Honda. A penny dropped from a really high place is just a penny what would happen in reality is that the person who gets hit would feel a sting which is pretty anti-climactic. So if you're planning on offing a bunch of people with pennies, you may want to head back to the drawing board.
  5. 5

    Brain Cells Can’t Regenerate


    Of course they can! Every cell in the human body can regenerate if you give it enough time. The reason for this myth is actually kind of shocking it was believed and taught by the science community for a very long time. In 1998, scientists at the Sweden and the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California discovered that brain cells in mature humans can regenerate. It had previously been long believed that complex brains would be severely disrupted by new cell growth, but the new study found that the memory and learning center of the brain can create new cells – giving hope for an eventual cure for illnesses like Alzheimer’s. So all those years of hearing that drinking and bad decisions killed your brain cells were completely false, you can continue making stupid faces too your face wont' get stuck that way.

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  1. xjim
    Top Ten Common Science Myths at 3/27/2012 6:43 AM
    Ain`t isn`t a word. Learn the English language and maybe you will gain some credibility.
  2. Jimmy Jazz
    Top Ten Common Science Myths at 3/26/2012 2:31 PM
    This person really needs to conduct more thorough research before writing articles.
  3. William123
    Top Ten Common Science Myths at 3/26/2012 9:55 AM
    This article really needs a lot of correcting. First of all, the moon creates its own gravitational field. It isn't the earth's gravity pulling people back to the moon's surface. If that was the case, they would be pulled off the surface.
  4. amras17
    Top Ten Common Science Myths at 1/24/2012 7:07 PM
    I'm sorry...the moon myth is a real myth, but not in the way you explain it. The synchronocity of the moon's rotation and revolution is not the result of the strength of earth's gravitational pull.
  5. dukethepcdr
    Top Ten Common Science Myths at 1/04/2012 1:14 AM
    I love number 10! Right on! Evolution is a myth, not science. Thanks for adding that to your list.
  6. Matron
    Top Ten Common Science Myths at 1/02/2012 10:55 AM
    "The reason that astronauts appear to be weightless is because they are orbiting the earth. They are falling towards the earth but moving sufficiently sideways to miss it." So, how about 230,000 miles away from earth? if 250 miles is -10 percent, and gravity decreases exponentially, then how much gravity is that near the moon? Seems almost like zero. The logic behind what you are saying is the same as the "Vomit Comet" which uses the same principle as what you are saying, but says nothing about non orbit situations. There is no gravity if you are not near enough to a large enough mass in space. Space doesn't make gravity, planetary bodies or influences do. "When a meteoroid enters the atmosphere of the earth it's not friction that causes it to heat up, it's the speed compressing the air in front of the flying object that causes it to heat up. The pressure on the air generates a heat intense enough to make the rock so hot that is glows bright enough for our viewing pleasure." Definition of Friction: Friction is the force resisting the relative motion of solid surfaces, fluid layers, and/or material elements sliding against each other. Almost like, oh.. I dunno, the force of the meteorite action against a material element, such as ozone, as well as other gasses? Ya nailed it!

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