I keep thinking about flute condensation in zero gravity. It might sound at first like a good thing, your space trouser leg dry and your neighbor's space pint unmenaced; but a flute in zero grav could not possibly shed water as when Earthbound, and globules will grow and grow in the bore. And that is trouble. There is no choice but you will have to blow it out (Oh, you do that already? No, my friend; this will be another level of ejecta never before seen), or swing the flute and let centripetal force do the same job (and thereby brand you by your flailing as a hazard to your crew). It is in outer space that it will be revealed once and for all how vile - and dangerous - this instrument really is.
OTOH, at least it's not a trumpet.
"If you take music out of this world, you will have nothing but a ball of fire." - Balochi musician
Well, the condensation will still stick inside the bore's surface, but since there's no gravity the drops will not "fall" down. Though, you are still blowing into the flute, and the air flow may likely push towards the footjoint and then out the flying drops (the ones too big to remain attached on the bore's surface because of the bond). After all, the result could be quite similar then on earth...
At this point, Othannen, you and I both are indulging in conjecture. Someone should email the nice astronaut lady and ask her to take notes on this issue, though. I for one would find the results actually very interesting.
Denny wrote:
Nanohedron wrote:I keep thinking about flute condensation in zero gravity.
I'm sure that several of us were awaiting for one of the moderators to broach the subject.
What, so you wouldn't have to?
"If you take music out of this world, you will have nothing but a ball of fire." - Balochi musician
Remember remarkably little air actually flows down the flute tube - certainly not enough to drive the moisture footwards (in zero-grav or Earth-side) unless one does the spray-gun thingy. Assuming the ambient atmospheric conditions allowed much condensation in any case.... I'd guess the temperature would be fairly warm and evenly controlled, militating against excessive condensation. The air is also likely either very moist from normal human sweat and exhalation, which would also make significant precipitation within the flute unlikely, or it is efficiently air-conditioned to a low humidity, in which case any precipitation would be quickly evaporated. I wouldn't be at all surprised if there are online Space station websites giving this kind of information, if anyone can be bothered to go look. I can't but I'd welcome any proper scientific correction of my surmises above. I think the only practical solution to the formation of enough condensation to inhibit tone production, as well as the only socially and Health & Safety acceptable course of action in context would be frequent swabbing of the bore with a drying cloth. I should think the greatest threats to the structure and operation of the flute would be dessication and excessive temperature, either hot or cold.
I respect people's privilege to hold their beliefs, whatever those may be (within reason), but respect the beliefs themselves? You gotta be kidding!
Tell us something.: Whistle player, aspiring C#/D accordion and flute player, and aspiring tunesmith. Particularly interested in the music of South Sligo and Newfoundland. Inspired by the music of Peter Horan, Fred Finn, Rufus Guinchard, Emile Benoit, and Liz Carroll.
MTGuru wrote:Neato. But that photo can't be right, can it?
The Jethro Tull news feed on Facebook reported this afternoon that she is taking one of Ian Anderson's flutes up with her on her mission. Putting two and two together, I'm thinking which flute is which got crossed in the picture...
Here's the info to answer some of the above questions:
Unless plans changed at the last minute, Cady will have three flutes with her:
- One of Ian Anderson's silver Boehm system flutes (maybe not the one pictured, since the three flutes were packed away for the trip several weeks ago - don't know when the photo was taken).
- A coccus flute from Matt Malloy's collection:
- A pennywhistle from Paddy Maloney.
I had the pleasure of checking out Matt's flute for her after it arrived here in Houston and before it went to Russia to be packed for the trip. It is a Hawkes E-flat flute, and a really good one. Rich tone, great intonation. The pads and pad seats were sticky and in need of a bit of cleaning. I also lubricated the rods (post mounted keys) with NASA grade grease and made sure the wood had a good coating of almond oil to slow adjustments to lower humidity. The biggest danger to this flute is probably the low relative humidity in the space station. We'll have to see what will happen and whether the wood will shrink so much it will either crack or have the pads not seating well.
Cady can indeed play quite well. She has visited 3 or 4 of our sessions in Seabrook (near NASA). She is a quick learner and is building her repertoire of Irish tunes. Don't know what she will wind up playing, but Paddy suggested she play "Southern Breezes" which I know by the name South Wind.
I have no idea whether the flute will produce a normal tone or maybe sound more like a Chipmunks' flute. I'm sure a physicist could predict, but I'm happy to wait for the empirical evidence.
good guess 
