---
title: "Astronaut Barber Means Well, Gives Terrible Haircut in Space"
description: "Without the assistance of gravity, giving somebody a haircut is a lot tougher than you might think. And the results may end up being a disappointment."
date: "2021-12-23"
modified: "2021-12-23"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/astronaut-haircut-space"
categories:
  - "Off-World"
  - "Space"
tags:
  - "hair cut"
  - "iss"
  - "NASA"
  - "the digest"
---

# Astronaut Barber Means Well, Gives Terrible Haircut in Space

![Without the assistance of gravity, giving somebody a haircut is a lot tougher than you might think. And the results may end up being a disappointment.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/astronaut-haircut-space.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: ESA\</em\>*

## Space Barber

Without the assistance of gravity, giving somebody a haircut is a lot tougher than you might think. Besides, the thought of being surrounded by a floating cloud of hair clippings is horrid.

Needless to say, astronauts try. But though the resulting haircuts might be able to keep the hair out of their faces, they won't be winning any awards, either.

"Step into the space salon where barber Raja Chari is a man of many talents," ESA astronaut and current International Space Station crew member Matthias Maurer [tweeted over the weekend](<https://twitter.com/astro_matthias/status/1472557235578548225>), accompanied by a video of him receiving a haircut. "Because none of us want hair in our eyes, or — even worse — the systems, our hair clippers come with a vacuum attached."

https://twitter.com/astro_matthias/status/1472557235578548225

## Buzzed Lightyear

Chari, a NASA astronaut, made it to the station [back in November](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-encounter-mystery-object>) on board a SpaceX Crew Dragon.

"Five stars for this space stylist's service," a charitable Maurer tweeted.

The process doesn't look easy. It clearly requires quite a bit of precision and experience to successfully coif a fellow crew member's hair.

To be perfectly honest, though, we're not impressed with the results. And Chari's own haircut certainly leaves something to be desired — it's practically a perfect bowl cut.

Fortunately, looking good for the camera isn't exactly top of mind as an astronaut. Years of hard training don't leave much time for hairstyling school.

**More on life in space:** *[NASA Postpones Spacewalk Due to Deadly Debris](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-postpones-spacewalk-debris>)*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)