# Smudges on the window of a spacecraft

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smudges-on-the-window-of-a-spacecraft/618522>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 12, 2012, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smudges-on-the-window-of-a-spacecraft/618522 "2012-04-12T01:49:10Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![wolfstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d6d6ee/32.png) [@wolfstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfstu)\
**Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smudges-on-the-window-of-a-spacecraft/618522/1 "2012-04-12T01:49:10Z")

</div>

[This image](http://www.airspacemag.com/multimedia/Ghosts-of-Gemini.html?c=y&page=4&navigation=thumb#IMAGES) from Gemini 4, shows smudges on a window caused by the boots of spacewalking astronaut Ed White.

What’s there to smudge? A coating on the glass? Some material deposited on the glass during flight that’s being scraped away by the boots? Some material from the boots that’s being smeared onto the glass?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Capt\_Kirk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@Capt\_Kirk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt_Kirk)\
**Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smudges-on-the-window-of-a-spacecraft/618522/2 "2012-04-12T01:58:31Z")

</div>

If I had to guess… Ice. Probably condensate from the temperature differential inside/outside capsule. Just a guess though

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\
**Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smudges-on-the-window-of-a-spacecraft/618522/3 "2012-04-12T11:00:02Z")

</div>

It was residue from gaffer tape. As the riggers hoisted the “capsule” aloft in the “spacewalk” studio they taped over all the windows so as to reduce the risks of breakage (from cables, harnesses, carabiners etc.). After removing the tape they didn’t clean the windows properly. Hence the smudge.

…what?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\
**Post date:** [April 12, 2012, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smudges-on-the-window-of-a-spacecraft/618522/4 "2012-04-12T11:29:03Z")

</div>

Oh.  
I was going to go for Space Bugs on the windshield. You know they didn’t even have wipers on those things?