Spaced Out

If you've been worried as to whether or not you're making a good first impression at your new job, this story will make you feel a whole lot better.

So, it's your first day on the job as an astronaut and you really want to impress your bosses back at NASA. You (NASA Astronaut Heide Stefanyshyn-Piper) show up right on time at 0600 hours, your space suit looks impeccable and you ate just the amount of dehydrated bacon and eggs to be prepared for your new job of lubricating the gears of the starboard Solar Alpha Rotary Joint.

But, things don't go quite as planned:
First, a grease gun inside your tool bag leaks, coating everything inside with a film of lubricant. Then while you're trying to clean it up in the absence of gravity, the whole bag floats away. You're forced to share your space tool bag with your partner for the rest of the mission.

In space, nobody can hear you say, "D'oh!"

Luckily, your bosses still support you and realize that everyone makes mistakes—especially when there's slippery lubricant involved (there is a joke about the adult industry in here somewhere, but we're totally too highbrow to make it.)

What's the most embarrassing thing that's happened to you when starting a new job?