Right from when we were in elementary school, we knew that there was no gravity in space, meaning everything ‘floats’ there. But that’s not the only intriguing thing about outer space. Astronauts experience many things that don’t happen on Earth. This article is dedicated to the daily routine and challenges of astronauts in space.
They start the day just like we do
Each morning in space, crew members are woken up by an alarm. Having hooked their sleeping bags to a wall the previous night, astronauts get out of bed to start the day just like we do on Earth– well, not exactly.
Crew members have to sleep in a spot with ventilator fans; failure to do that, they may wake up in a bubble of their exhaled carbon dioxide. Simply put, astronauts can wake up gasping for air due to oxygen starvation if they don’t sleep in a well-ventilated area.
How do they dress?
We don’t need to be astronauts to know that it’s relatively complicated for them to wear their spacesuits. In space, astronauts wear disposable clothes and replace them once in three days.
When it’s necessary to wash, crew members have to wash with wet towels. Also, they have to dress as fast as possible because the lack of gravity would make their limbs float in awkward directions.
Touching base: A necessary step
While we can decide to skip some morning activities on Earth, crew members can’t afford to leave any stone unturned. After breakfast, housecleaning, and personal hygiene, they have to attend a daily conference.
The essence of this conference is to ensure that every crew member knows the day’s schedule. This is a very important routine, as any mistake or omission can be dangerous. Astronauts also draw blood samples for analysis.
Toilets without water– yeah, you read that right
Even a kid knows that flushing with water is the next step after using the toilet. Well, that’s not an option for crew members in space. The toilets in spaceships don’t use water. So how are they used?
Astronauts have to fasten themselves to the toilet seat; then, the waste is eradicated from the toilet through a suction hole. A lever controls a large fan, and the air steam carries the waste away. Of course, it takes a while for them to get used to it.
We can escape exercise; they can’t
The weightlessness in space makes astronauts lose muscle– that’s why they have to partake in exercise every single day. These few hours of exercise help them tone their unused muscles.
Of course, they have to strap themselves to the treadmill and other exercise equipment. After the day’s activities, they get breaks for them to write emails home, watch DVDs, or do any other thing.
