Expedition 65 backup crew member Russian cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev of Roscosmos, left, and Expedition 65 prime crew member Russian cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy of Roscosmos play a game of ping-pong, Saturday, April 3, 2021, at the Cosmonaut Hotel in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. The prime crew, Novitskiy, NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, and Russian cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov of Roscosmos are scheduled to launch to the International Space Station aboard the Soyuz MS-18 spacecraft on April 9. Photo Credit: (NASA/GCTC/Irina Spector)

Expedition 65 backup crew member Russian cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev of Roscosmos, left, and Expedition 65 prime crew member Russian cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy of Roscosmos play a game of ping-pong, Saturday, April 3, 2021, at the Cosmonaut Hotel in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. The prime crew, Novitskiy, NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, and Russian cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov of Roscosmos are scheduled to launch to the International Space Station aboard the Soyuz MS-18 spacecraft on April 9. Photo Credit: (NASA/GCTC/Irina Spector)

Expedition 65 backup crew member Russian cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev of Roscosmos plays a game of ping-pong, Saturday, April 3, 2021, at the Cosmonaut Hotel in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. The prime crew, NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, and Russian cosmonauts Oleg Novitskiy and Pyotr Dubrov of Roscosmos are scheduled to launch to the International Space Station aboard the Soyuz MS-18 spacecraft on April 9. Photo Credit: (NASA/GCTC/Irina Spector)

At the Cosmonaut Hotel in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, Expedition 48-49 crewmembers Takuya Onishi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (left) and Anatoly Ivanishin of Roscosmos share a game of ping-pong June 30 during pre-launch activities. They and Kate Rubins of NASA will launch July 7, Baikonur time, on the Soyuz MS-01 spacecraft for a planned four-month mission on the International Space Station. NASA/Alexander Vysotsky

jsc2020e016965 - At the Cosmonaut Hotel crew quarters in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, Expedition 63 crewmember Chris Cassidy of NASA plays a game of ping-pong April 1. Cassidy and Ivan Vagner and Anatoly Ivanishin of Roscosmos will launch April 9 on the Soyuz MS-16 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for a six-and-a-half month mission on the International Space Station...Andrey Shelepin/Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center.

6005: At the Cosmonaut Hotel crew quarters in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, Expedition 42/43 crewmember Terry Virts of NASA (right) tries his hand at Ping-Pong Nov. 18 as his Soyuz Commander, Anton Shkaplerov of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos, left) looks on. Virts, Shkaplerov and Samantha Cristoforetti of the European Space Agency are preparing to launch Nov. 24, Kazakh time, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in their Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft for a 5 ½ month mission on the International Space Station. NASA/Sergei Fyodorov

jsc2019e053720 - At the Cosmonaut Hotel crew quarters in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, Expedition 61 crewmembers Oleg Skripochka of Roscosmos (left) and Jessica Meir of NASA (right) share a game of ping-pong Sept. 18 as part of pre-launch activities. Along with spaceflight participant Hazzaa Ali Almansoori of the United Arab Emirates, they will launch Sept. 25 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on the Soyuz MS-15 spacecraft for a mission on the International Space Station...NASA/Victor Zelentsov

jsc2018e025555 - At the Cosmonaut Hotel crew quarters in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, Expedition 55 crewmember Drew Feustel of NASA (right) tries his hand at a game of ping-pong March 15 as his crewmate, Oleg Artemyev of Roscosmos (left) looks on. Along with Ricky Arnold of NASA, they will launch March 21 on the Soyuz MS-08 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on a five-month mission to the International Space Station...NASA/Victor Zelentsov.

Expedition 64 crew member Sergey Ryzhikov of Roscosmos plays a game of ping-pong, Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020, at the Cosmonaut Hotel in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Ryzhikov, Sergey Kud-Sverchkov of Roscosmos and Kate Rubins of NASA are scheduled to launch to the International Space Station aboard the Soyuz MS-17 spacecraft on October 14. Photo Credit: (NASA/GCTC/Andrey Shelepin)

19-12-04-43: At their Cosmonaut Hotel crew quarters in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, Expedition 39/40 Flight Engineer Steve Swanson of NASA (right) and Flight Engineer Oleg Artemyev of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos; left) play a game of Ping-Pong March 19 as they prepare for their launch to the International Space Station with their crewmate, Alexander Skvortsov of Roscosmos, on March 26, Kazakh time, in the Soyuz TMA-12M spacecraft for a six-month mission. NASA/Victor Zelentsov

jsc2017e101943 (July 22, 2017) --- At the Cosmonaut Hotel crew quarters in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, Expedition 52-53 crewmembers Randy Bresnik of NASA (left) and Paolo Nespoli of the European Space Agency (right) try their hand at a game of ping-pong July 22 as part of their media day activities. Bresnik, Nespoli and Sergey Ryazanskiy of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) will launch July 28 on the Soyuz MS-05 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome for a five-month mission on the International Space Station. Credit: NASA/Victor Zelentsov

jsc2017e043072 (April 13, 2017) --- At the Cosmonaut Hotel crew quarters in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, Expedition 51 crewmembers Jack Fischer of NASA (left) and Fyodor Yurchikhin of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos, right) get in a game of ping-pong April 13 as part of their pre-launch activities. Fischer and Yurchikhin will liftoff April 20 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on the Soyuz MS-04 spacecraft for a four and a half month mission on the International Space Station. NASA/Victor Zelentsov

At her Cosmonaut Hotel crew quarters in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, Expedition 50-51 crewmember Peggy Whitson of NASA tries her hand at a game of ping-pong Nov. 10 as part of her preflight activities. Whitson, Thomas Pesquet of the European Space Agency (left) and Oleg Novitskiy of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) will launch Nov. 18, Baikonur time, on the Soyuz MS-03 spacecraft for a six-month mission on the International Space Station. NASA/Alexander Vysotsky

jsc2019e039271 - At the Cosmonaut Hotel crew quarters in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, Expedition 60 crewmember Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency tries his hand at a game of ping-pong July 12 as part of pre-launch activities. Parmitano, Drew Morgan of NASA and Alexander Skvortsov of Roscosmos will launch July 20 on the Soyuz MS-13 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on a mission to the International Space Station...Andrey Shelepin/GCTC.

jsc2018e085898 (Oct. 3, 2018) --- Expedition 57 crew members Alexey Ovchinin of Roscosmos, left, and Nick Hague of NASA, right, play a game of ping-pong as part of the traditional pre-launch activities, Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2018 at the Cosmonaut Hotel in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Ovchinin and Hague are scheduled to launch on Oct. 11 onboard the Soyuz MS-10 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for a six-month mission on the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Victor Zelentsov)

jsc2019e039258 - At the Cosmonaut Hotel crew quarters in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, Expedition 60 crewmember Alexander Skvortsov of Roscosmos (right) tries his hand at a game of ping-pong July 12 as crewmate Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency (left) looks on. Skvortsov, Parmitano and Drew Morgan of NASA will launch July 20 on the Soyuz MS-13 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on a mission to the International Space Station...Andrey Shelepin/GCTC.

At their Cosmonaut Hotel crew quarters in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, Expedition 35-36 Soyuz Commander Pavel Vinogradov (left) takes a turn at ping-pong March 21 as he and NASA Flight Engineer Chris Cassidy relax for a few minutes while preparing for their launch to the International Space Station with crewmate Alexander Misurkin March 29, Kazakh time, in their Soyuz TMA-08M spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. The three crewmembers will spend 5 ½ months on the orbital laboratory. NASA/Victor Zelentsov

At their Cosmonaut Hotel crew quarters in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, Expedition 59 crewmembers Christina Koch of NASA (left) and Nick Hague of NASA (right) play a game of ping-pong March 7 as they take a break from pre-launch training. Along with Alexey Ovchinin of Roscosmos, they will launch March 14, U.S. time, on the Soyuz MS-12 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome for a six-and-a-half month mission on the International Space Station...NASA/Victor Zelentsov.

In Baikonur, Kazakhstan, Expedition 30 Commander Dan Burbank of NASA enjoys a game of ping-pong at his Cosmonaut Hotel crew quarters November 8, 2011. Burbank, Soyuz Commander Anton Shkaplerov and Flight Engineer Anatoly Ivanishin will launch in the Soyuz TMA-22 spacecraft on November 14 from Baikonur bound for the International Space Station. Credit: NASA/Victor Zelentsov

Expedition 64 crew member Sergey Kud-Sverchkov of Roscosmos plays a game of ping-pong, Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020, at the Cosmonaut Hotel in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Kud-Sverchkov, Sergey Ryzhikov of Roscosmos and Kate Rubins of NASA are scheduled to launch to the International Space Station aboard the Soyuz MS-17 spacecraft on October 14. Photo Credit: (NASA/GCTC/Andrey Shelepin)

Expedition 32/33 Flight Engineer Sunita Williams of NASA gets in a round of ping-pong at the Cosmonaut Hotel crew quarters in Baikonur, Kazakhstan July 9, 2012 as she prepares for launch July 15 to the International Space Station in the Soyuz TMA-05M spacecraft. Williams will launch with Soyuz Commander Yuri Malenchenko and Flight engineer Aki Hoshide of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. NASA/Victor Zelentsov

In the Cosmonaut Hotel crew quarters in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, Expedition 36/37 Flight Engineer Karen Nyberg of NASA gets in a round of Ping-Pong May 22 as she limbers up for launch May 29, Kazakh time, in the Soyuz TMA-09M spacecraft with Soyuz Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineer Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency to begin a 5 ½ month mission on the International Space Station. In the background at the billiards table are backup crewmembers Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (left) and Rick Mastracchio of NASA (right). NASA/Victor Zelentsov

With backup crewmember Reid Wiseman (right) of NASA looking on, prime Expedition 38/39 Flight Engineer Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (left) takes a turn at Ping-Pong Nov. 1 at the Cosmonaut Hotel crew quarters in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Wakata, Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin and Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA are preparing for launch Nov. 7, Kazakh time, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome aboard the Soyuz TMA-11M spacecraft to begin a six-month mission on the International Space Station. NASA/Victor Zelentsov

jsc2018e050827 - At the Cosmonaut Hotel crew quarters in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, Expedition 56 prime crewmember Alexander Gerst of the European Space Agency (center) tries his hand at game of ping-pong May 29 as backup crewmembers Anne McClain of NASA (left) and David Saint-Jacques of the Canadian Space Agency (right) look on. Gerst, Serena Aunon-Chancellor of NASA and Sergey Prokopyev of Roscosmos will launch June 6 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on the Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft for a six-month mission on the International Space Station...NASA/Victor Zelentsov.

With backup crewmember Reid Wiseman (right) of NASA looking on, prime Expedition 38/39 Flight Engineer Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (left) takes a turn at Ping-Pong Nov. 1 at the Cosmonaut Hotel crew quarters in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. In the far background in the blue flight suit, backup crewmember Alexander Gerst of the European Space Agency waits his turn at the billiards table. Wakata, Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin and Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA are preparing for launch Nov. 7, Kazakh time, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome aboard the Soyuz TMA-11M spacecraft to begin a six-month mission on the International Space Station. NASA/Victor Zelentsov

At their Cosmonaut Hotel crew quarters in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, Expedition 59 backup crewmember Alexander Skvortsov of Roscosmos (left) and prime crewmember Alexey Ovchinin of Roscosmos (right) take a break from pre-launch training March 7 for a game of ping-pong. Looking on against the wall are prime crewmembers Nick Hague and Christina Koch of NASA. Ovchinin, Hague and Koch will launch March 14, U.S. time, on the Soyuz MS-12 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome for a six-and-a-half month mission on the International Space Station...NASA/Victor Zelentsov.

At their Cosmonaut Hotel crew quarters in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, two of the three crewmembers who will next launch to the International Space Station brush up on their ping-pong skills May 10, 2012 as they take a break from final pre-launch training. Expedition 31/32 Flight Engineer Sergei Revin (left) and Flight Engineer Joe Acaba of NASA will join Soyuz Commander Gennady Padalka for launch May 15 on the Soyuz TMA-04M spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome to begin a four-month mission on the orbital outpost. NASA/Victor Zelentsov

At their Cosmonaut Hotel crew quarters in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, Expedition 59 backup crewmembers Drew Morgan of NASA (left) and Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency (right) take a break from pre-launch training March 7 for a game of ping-pong. Along with Alexander Skvortsov of Roscosmos, they are the backups to the prime crewmembers, Christina Koch of NASA, Alexey Ovchinin of Roscosmos and Nick Hague of NASA, who will launch March 14, U.S. time, on the Soyuz MS-12 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome for a six-and-a-half month mission on the International Space Station...NASA/Victor Zelentsov.

jsc2020e016966 - At the Cosmonaut Hotel crew quarters in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, Expedition 63 backup crewmember Steve Bowen of NASA plays a game of ping-pong April 1 as he takes a break from pre-launch training. Bowen and Sergey Ryzhikov and Andrei Babkin of Roscosmos are the backups to the prime crew, Chris Cassidy of NASA and Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner of Roscosmos, who will launch April 9 on the Soyuz MS-16 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for a six-and-a-half month mission on the International Space Station...Andrey Shelepin/Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center.

11-52-21: At the Cosmonaut Hotel crew quarters in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, Expedition 40/41 Soyuz Commander Max Suraev of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos, left) and NASA Flight Engineer Reid Wiseman (right) try their hand at a game of Ping-Pong May 21 as they head into the homestretch of their pre-launch training. Suraev, Wiseman and Flight Engineer Alexander Gerst of the European Space Agency (right) will launch on May 29, Kazakh time, on the Soyuz TMA-13M spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome for a 5 ½ month mission on the International Space Station. NASA/Victor Zelentsov

11-52-53: At the Cosmonaut Hotel crew quarters in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, Expedition 40/41 backup crewmember Terry Virts of NASA (left) and prime crewmember and Flight Engineer Alexander Gerst of the European Space Agency (right) try their hand at a game of Ping-Pong May 21 as they head into the homestretch of their pre-launch training. Gerst, Soyuz Commander Max Suraev of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) and NASA Flight Engineer Reid Wiseman will launch on May 29, Kazakh time, on the Soyuz TMA-13M spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome for a 5 ½ month mission on the International Space Station. NASA/Victor Zelentsov

This image depicts the formation of multiple whirlpools in a sodium gas cloud. Scientists who cooled the cloud and made it spin created the whirlpools in a Massachusetts Institute of Technology laboratory, as part of NASA-funded research. This process is similar to a phenomenon called starquakes that appear as glitches in the rotation of pulsars in space. MIT's Wolgang Ketterle and his colleagues, who conducted the research under a grant from the Biological and Physical Research Program through NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., cooled the sodium gas to less than one millionth of a degree above absolute zero (-273 Celsius or -460 Fahrenheit). At such extreme cold, the gas cloud converts to a peculiar form of matter called Bose-Einstein condensate, as predicted by Albert Einstein and Satyendra Bose of India in 1927. No physical container can hold such ultra-cold matter, so Ketterle's team used magnets to keep the cloud in place. They then used a laser beam to make the gas cloud spin, a process Ketterle compares to stroking a ping-pong ball with a feather until it starts spirning. The spinning sodium gas cloud, whose volume was one- millionth of a cubic centimeter, much smaller than a raindrop, developed a regular pattern of more than 100 whirlpools.