Life aboard the International Space Station is far different from how we do things here on Earth (starting with the view). Even everyday activities look way more interesting—and changing a camera lens is no exception. In a recent short video, ISS astronaut Don Pettit demonstrates how he changes a camera lens—and yes, everything floats!
For this demonstration, Pettit changes a lens on a Nikon Z 9 ($4,996.95). Everything stays suspended in the air as he leaves one lens and screws on another one. I can’t tell which of the lenses he uses out of all those Nikon shipped to the ISS last year.
The first thought I had was, “Wow, how cool!” As one of the X users said, “Weightlessness is the closest thing to magic,” and I still feel this way although I’m a grown woman and know how gravity works. But the second thought was, “Wait, what about the dust?” Just like the lenses and the camera stay suspended in mid-air, so does the dust – it never settles on the ISS. However, I know that astronauts and the air filtration system keep the environment as clean as possible. So, I bet that those lenses and cameras still pick up less dust than mine while I change them mid-concert in an old warehouse.
I find it really fun to watch videos from the ISS. As I said, I still feel like weightlessness is magical, and it’s especially amazing watching the astronauts do regular stuff like washing their hair or playing the guitar. I just hope that, when Pettit’s back on Earth, he won’t forget about the gravity and try to leave his lens floating in the air. 🙂
— ΣTΞCH (@SigmaTechRBLX) January 18, 2025
[via Nikon Rumors]
