On Wednesday, Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, Poland’s astronaut aboard the International Space Station, delivered a unique live physics lesson to hundreds of high school students across the country. Streaming from 400 km above Earth, he conducted three educational experiments in microgravity and answered real-time questions from students watching from Earth.
Broadcast from the Columbus Laboratory , the lesson featured demonstrations proposed by students themselves. Uznański-Wiśniewski showed how a gyroscope behaves in weightlessness, how water forms floating droplets in space, and how mass can be measured using a spring, providing clear explanations of the physics involved.
“A gyroscope is a device used in navigation systems – in Apollo missions, satellite guidance, and on the International Space Station – that helps determine orientation in space,” he said while spinning one in front of the camera., and it began to rotate freely in the cabin’s microgravity – yet it consistently maintained an upright position around a single axis.
During the water experiment, the astronaut used a straw and cup to form a spherical droplet and floated it through the air:
“It’s like a ping-pong ball,” he explained. “But here, we have to be very careful – any stray drop near electronics could be dangerous.”
In the third experiment, he demonstrated how a ball attached to a spring oscillates in microgravity. He suggested that even by analyzing the video recording, students could calculate the mass of the ball by measuring the oscillation period:
“This is the same principle we use in space to estimate the astronauts’ weight – only with more advanced equipment.”
Students also had the chance to ask personal and scientific questions. One student asked how seeing Earth from space changed his perspective:
“For me, it was an incredible experience. At first, it felt like we’re so close — and yet so far away — and just how unbelievably beautiful our planet is. Earth looks absolutely stunning from space,” said Uznański-Wiśniewski.
He also shared insights into life on the station – from struggling to sleep without contact with surfaces, to how 95% of water on the ISS is recycled, including from sweat and urine:
“Today’s coffee is tomorrow’s coffee,” he joked.
As part of the IGNIS mission, in partnership with the Polish Space Agency, the Ministry of Development and Technology, and the Ministry of National Education, more than 10,000 Polish schools received educational kits for learning how to solder. The schools also received satellite-shaped telegraph keys, which, when connected to a battery or power bank, can be used to send messages in Morse code.
The live broadcast from space can be watched in the video below.
The next two live ISS connections will take place on:
These educational broadcasts bring space closer to students and are helping inspire the next generation of Polish scientists and astronauts.
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