While browsing here, I found myself wondering how they keep the windows clean on the ISS and the shuttle. I mean, of course, the inside of the windows, because I figure that they’re not too worried about bugs splatting on their windshield or anything.
Say you have a normal non-aerosol spray bottle of lysol or something. I know the actual ‘trigger’ mechanism works on a vaccuum system, somehow, so that I’d think would work fine. But once the liquid leaves the nozzle, what would happen to it in a zero-gravity environment? Would it spray normally or do something different? How about an aerosol can?
I would think that the pre-moistend Windex towelettes would come in hand in this situation.
As for the spray bottle, my guess is that it would work pretty much the same except that you could spray from much, much further away and still hit the other astronaut with laser-like accuracy.
If something doesn’t work when held upside down, it usuaslly means gravity is necessary for proper operation. That includes conventional ball-point pens, spray bottles and even coffee cups. Spray bottles have tubes to suck liquid from the bottom of the bottle; if there’s no gravity, the tip of the tube does not stay immersed in liquid. But I imagine you can make a “space spray bottle” simply by replacing the rigid bottle with a soft bladder that collapses as the liquid is used up. That way the tip of the tube will stay immersed in liquid.
Aerosol cans don’t work in space for the same reason. To make it work in space, I think you need a piston-like physical barrier between the propellant and contents.