If there’s one thing we all take for granted it’s gravity. Sure, we’ve all looked at photos of Kate Upton in zero gravity; and we’ve probably thought about having sex in zero gravity, but it’s rare we sit down and really have a ponder on this mysterious and ubiquitous force. There’s not a single second of the day or night that we’re not being held tight by that bad boy, but we completely ignore his presence in our prayers. If gravity were to decide to take a short break just for a minute or two we’d all be rushing through deep space with our eyeballs inside out.

Below I have compiled a short list of lesser known facts about our old reliable bedfellow – gravity.

1) Peeing In Space

Image VIA

Let’s start with urine shall we? On earth you feel the desire to wee when your bladder is just 1/3 full. In zero gravity, however, things work a little differently. In space you don’t feel the need until your bladder is pretty much totally full. When astronaut John Glenn orbited the Earth, his only wazz was 27 ounces which is seven ounces more than the capacity of an average human bladder.

Mary Roach explains why in her book Packing for Mars: the Curious Science of Life in the Void:

In zero gravity, the urine doesn’t collect at the bottom of the bladder. Only when the bladder is almost completely full do the sides begin to stretch and trigger the urge. And by then the bladder may be so full that it’s pressing the urethra shut.

See what I mean? From now on I am going to thank gravity every day for reminding me to empty my bladder at the appropriate time.