# Is is true that astronauts in space can't belch?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-is-true-that-astronauts-in-space-cant-belch/236554>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 26, 2004, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-is-true-that-astronauts-in-space-cant-belch/236554 "2004-03-26T12:28:15Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Marlitharn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/779978/32.png) [@Marlitharn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marlitharn)\
**Post date:** [March 26, 2004, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-is-true-that-astronauts-in-space-cant-belch/236554/1 "2004-03-26T12:28:15Z")

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From [here.](http://www.firstscience.com/SITE/factfile/factfile21_40.asp) Yeah, I know. In space no one can hear you burp. I don’t know anything about anatomy, but something about this claim seems wrong to me. I know flatulence is caused by a by-product of digestion, and burpiness is caused by the swallowing of air while eating, but doesn’t the air have to go somewhere? Is gravity the only thing that seperates the air from the food? Not to be crude or anything, but if the air remains mixed with the food during every step in digestion, do astronauts then excrete fecal mousse (pre-emptive BAND NAME!)?

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**Author:** ![Podkayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Podkayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Podkayne)\
**Post date:** [March 26, 2004, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-is-true-that-astronauts-in-space-cant-belch/236554/2 "2004-03-26T15:04:01Z")

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Astronauts do burp in freefall, but it’s gross:

> [@](#):
>
> Because there is no gravity, the contents of your stomach float and tend to stay at the top of your stomach, under the rib cage and close to the valve at the top of your stomach. Because this valve isn’t a complete closure (just a muscle that works with gravity), if you burp, it becomes a wet burp from the contents in your stomach. I’ve been told this is NOT pleasant!

[Citation](http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/people/journals/space/kloeris/05-01-01.html)

So it seems that the gasses do separate, at least for carbonated beverages, and maybe for any other foods as well, but the gas doesn’t float to the top of the stomach.

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**Author:** ![Marlitharn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/779978/32.png) [@Marlitharn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marlitharn)\
**Post date:** [March 27, 2004, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-is-true-that-astronauts-in-space-cant-belch/236554/3 "2004-03-27T10:48:17Z")

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I see. Thank you, **Podkayne**. I tried googling astronauts and belching and got a bunch of hits about belching stars and belching rockets and ancient astronauts with belching aircraft.

Now I’m wondering which is worse, fecal mousse or wet burps; but I think that’s an issue I’m going to have to work out on my own. 😃

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**Author:** ![Starguard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Starguard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starguard)\
**Post date:** [March 27, 2004, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-is-true-that-astronauts-in-space-cant-belch/236554/4 "2004-03-27T12:54:46Z")

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I thought they just **farted** it out. 😃 All the other astronauts might get mad at him for a while,then move over to the other side of the ship till the room aired out. but hey, when nature calls you gotta go, right :eek: