If you were sent out into space, what experiment or act would you conduct?

Question

I suppose I should have asked to be specific.

Answer 1

I'd do a test to see if the measured speed of light in the vacuum of space is constant or not.

To do that I'd arrange for a strobe light to be installed on another spacecraft, one that's going around the earth in the opposite direction from what my spacecraft is doing.  Then I'd have two light detectors that are about a hundred yards apart (parallel to the spacecraft lines of flight) and I'd look for variations in the intervals between the arrival times of the detected strobe flashes.

If the measured speed of light is constant then there would be no detectable variations.  If, on the other hand, the relative velocity of the two spacecraft affects the measurements, it might produce a delay variation on the order of a few picosceconds (less delay when the spacecraft are approaching each another and more when they are moving apart). If that were to happen I might have to end up "lost in space."  

Answer 2

Depends on my budget.  If my budget was, say, $10,000,000, i'd put up a small telescope in orbit, and beam pictures down.  The MOST space craft was put in orbit by the Canadians for about that much.  I might be able to do it for less - as i might not care about accounting and other overhead.

If i could go up personally, i'd look for something that hadn't been done.  But for $30 million, i might still put up a telescope instead.

If i could get myself and my partner up there, i might try s*x.  It might be different than in the hot tub.  If you want to sponsor us, we'll issue a full report.  But $60 million will buy a very nice space telescope.  Call me a nerd if you want.

If i had a billion dollars, i'd really like a pair of telescopes, about 3 meters each in solar orbit on nearly opposite sides of the Sun, perhaps 4 AU apart to do first class star mapping and proper motion studies. None of this low Earth orbit c**p.  I want simultaneous measurements so that there is no ambiguity. Ideally, they should be 15 meter scopes out at Jupiter's orbit so we'd have direct distances to any star in the galaxy.

Answer 3

If you want to know what weightless s*x feels like, you can always do it underwater.  Space is for research to make the lives of people here on earth better.

Answer 4

I would perform the experiment for newtons first law

Answer 5

I'd try to see if bone loss and muscle atrophy could be prevented.  These are serious issues in a weightless environment.