Life Inside The International Space Station

Ever wondered what it’s like to work in space? The brave men and women of the International  Space Station are truly a special breed, but at the end of the day they’re just  regular people, going about their jobs. So join us today as we shadow  our higher ups and learn all about a day in the life of an ISS astronaut. When hurtling around planet earth at 17,100 mph, standard human notions of day and night start to  look pretty silly. In a normal 24 hour stretch, a typical ISS astronaut will see t

he sun  rise, and set, 16 times in total. Human bodies did not evolve that way. So a regular  24-hour earth day is maintained up there, if nothing else to prevent the crew descending  into a grim spiral of permanent crippling jet lag. And while it might seem from the internet that  all they do up there is strum guitars and make funny videos, in fact astronauts’ schedules are  rigorously itemised down to five minute increments by an Ops Planning team working at mission  control. The day usually r

uns from 6am to 9:30pm, pegged to UTC, which is basically the  same thing as Greenwich Mean Time. Anyway, let’s start the day. Lights go on at 6am. Astronauts will typically  still be in their sleeping bags, which are affixed to the walls of their telephone-box-sized  cabins to stop them bobbing about. Before they get up – not that ‘up’ or ‘down’ have much  meaning on the ISS – crew might read emails, digest the news online, or check on any overnight  missions sent across from mission control. F

irst things first, a hop  in the shower, right? Well, no. The best astronauts can hope for  hygiene-wise, despite working out twice a day, is to squirt a pouch of warm water and a trace of  soap onto a washcloth to rub themselves down with. Longer-haired crewmates like to  use a special rinseless shampoo, applied to their scalp and rubbed vigorously  through with a towel. This requires very little water, and was developed for hospital patients who  can’t shower. At least you never need a hairdry

er. There’s even a specially  adapted haircutting machine, called the Flowbee – essentially a pair  of clippers attached to a vacuum cleaner, which prevent stray stubble from floating  away and clogging up vital ISS hardware. Toothbrushing is broadly similar to the  process on earth, and astronauts are even allowed to bring up their own preferred  brand of toothpaste. The main drawback is, with no sinks or running water, astronauts  pretty much have to swallow at the end. It’s time to get dresse

d. Astronauts  usually wear casual short-sleeved t-shirts, as the temperature aboard remains a constant  72-73 degrees and there’s rarely any reason to get dolled up or wear a jumper. They  change their clothes as seldom as possible, often wearing the same items for days at a time.  This is because there isn’t much storage space, and certainly no washing facilities,  on the station. After a few days, the smellier items are stashed in a mesh bag ready  for the next resupply mission to dispatch to

a spectacular fiery death on re-entry, hopefully  having brought fresh supplies beforehand. Inevitably, even in space, nature calls. And as you might expect, visiting the bathroom in a microgravity environment throws  up an assortment of grim challenges. For liquid waste, each crew member is issued  with a personal urinal funnel they attach to a fan driven vacuum hose. This fan sucks any and  all liquids away, whisking just next door where, alongside moisture condensated from  the air, their we

e is broken down by electrolysis to generate fresh oxygen,  and make the next batch of drinking water. Solid waste has its own wholly separate system.  Well, it’s the same fan. Faeces are sucked into a wastewater tank, and sealed in a plastic bag.  It’s considered good etiquette, by the way, for astronauts to at least try and remember  to leave a fresh bag for the next crewperson. Unlovely as this setup is, it’s  a vast improvement on older space stations’ orbital facilities. On the  now-defunct

Russian space station Mir, a power failure once forced cosmonauts to  defecate directly into emergency plastic bags, until a repair could be made. Morale  is said to have suffered badly. Anyway, let’s go to breakfast. Toast is definitely a no-no on the space station,  as are sandwiches, because crumbs are a disaster in zero gravity environments. Not only are they  messy, but if left to float away unchecked they get lodged in tiny crevices and encourage the  growth of fungus. There are no conven

tional fridges – although a company called BioServe Space  Technologies is trialling a substitute aboard right now – but there’s plenty to eat nonetheless,  like scrambled eggs, oatmeal, or waffles. True, much of it is dehydrated, brought to life  with warm water, but there’s also lemonade, coffee, or tea, so long as you don’t  mind drinking through a straw of course. After breakfast – part of a rigorously  planned diet that’s carefully monitored by nutritionists – it’s time for a crew call to 

mission control to go over the plan for the day. Nearly every single task on  the ISS is carefully scripted, and astronauts have their activities planned, in  step-by-step fashion, down to the finest detail. Some of the most important  duties involve maintenance, both preventative tasks carried  out before things go wrong, and the corrective approach once something’s  actually broken. Cleaning filters is important, as is the disinfection of surfaces,  updating computer software, and even taking

out the trash. Which usually goes into  the Russia-launched Progress service vehicle. On occasion the crew’s maintenance  duties will require a Spacewalk. This can be for jobs as apparently mundane as  changing batteries on the exterior of the station, but still necessitate a four hours just to suit  up and a 100-page checklist to run through. In case you’re wondering, yes  there’s a diaper in there. Typically, the crew move through the interior  of the ISS using an array of handrails which are

situated at intervals on every surface.  It’s said that during extended missions, astronauts’ calluses vanish from the base  of their feet but reappear on the top, because this is suddenly a very crucial body  part for keeping them upright and steady. As well as those handrails, surfaces in the  ISS are usually adorned with strips of velcro. This is to help stop handheld tools, pens and  other items from drifting away and getting lost, sometimes for frustratingly long periods. After a solid morn

ing of work, often  in solitary roles but sometimes teaming up with colleagues across the  Russian/English language divide using a dialect astronauts affectionately  refer to as ‘Runglish’, it’s time for lunch. While the days of the week make even less  sense than the difference between day and night in space, the ISS crew still maintain  a distinction between weekdays and weekends, and share a ritual meal  together as a team on Sunday. Weightlessness creates issues for everything  aboard the IS

S, and cooking is no exception. Convection, the heating principle  on which most earth-based ovens run, doesn’t work in orbit. Hence most meals  are prepared from dehydrated ingredients and hot water – this is also to prevent fungus  from taking hold amid moist stored foodstuffs. Some food items, beef steak for instance,  come pre-sterilised with ionising radiation, which helps prevent spoilage.  Condiments – like ketchup, mustard, or hot chilli – are all available  to spice things up, as are sa

lt and pepper, albeit in liquid form so the granules don’t drift  away and cause havoc with station operations. Deliveries of fresh food such as fruit happen  periodically throughout the year. Takeaways aren’t really an option, except for back in 2001 when  Pizza Hut memorably sent a family-sized salami pizza on a Russian rocket as part of a million  dollar marketing stunt. Mission Control is keenly aware of the importance of fresh supplies  to the morale of the hardworking ISS crew. After washi

ng their hands  – with disinfectant wipes, because remember, there’s no sink  – it’s straight back to work. The main mission for the ISS team is to conduct  scientific experiments and further mankind’s understanding of life in space. So the most  important and exciting work they’ll do is essentially in the role of lab technicians, guided  in their actions by scientists on the ground. And the ISS is positively bristling with labs.  Russia has two Mini-Research Modules; the US lab is called Destin

y. Columbus is run by the European  Space Agency. The most recent lab is Japan's Kibo, which includes a special platform allowing  experiments to take place outside the station. Just some of the questions being explored concern  the effects of low-gravity on living cells, artificial materials, and even miniature  explosions. A veritable menagerie of animals, from mice to ants to fish to worms, often  participate, but it’s fair to say the most regular experimental subjects  are the astronauts the

mselves. As such, they need to stay in good shape. So when all that scientific work is  done, it’s time to work out. Each crew member is required, as part of  their duties, to work out for at least two, and sometimes more, hours every day. Partly  this is because gravity on earth naturally keeps human beings’ bones and muscles in good  condition as they are constantly working to keep us upright. But in space, muscles atrophy and  bones grow brittle, unless constantly worked. Astronauts also work

out to combat the  dreaded ‘space snuffles’ – an unlovely condition where bodily fluids, no longer tugged  downward by gravity, accumulate in the head. In order to stay trim and clear-minded,  Astronauts make use of three main pieces of gym equipment specially designed  and calibrated for life on board. There’s an exercise bike – which doesn’t have a  seat, because you don’t need one in zero-gravity. There’s also a treadmill, onto which  crew are secured with bungee straps. It has a clever vibra

tion  isolation system built in, so astronauts’ heavy footfall can’t disturb the  delicate science going on elsewhere on the ISS. The third main piece of workout equipment is the  so-called, Advanced Resistive Exercise Device or ARED. The most recent addition to the ISS on-board  gym, ARED uses clever vacuum-sealed cylinders to mimic resistance to up to 600 pounds, as  an alternative to lifting heavy weights. If you’re wondering how astronauts cope with  the sheer tedium of pumping iron for two

hours every day – while teams on the ground monitor  their vital signs and provide coaching – don’t worry. There are screens for watching  movies, and even scope to get competitive. In 2012, a NASA athlete named Sunita  Williams competed in the Malibu triathlon, using ARED as a makeshift swimming  simulator. What’s your excuse? After an evening meal – which  can sadly taste a little bland, as aroma doesn’t really work in low-gravity,  and blood surges to the sinuses thanks to those space snuffle

s we mentioned  – it’s time to unwind before bed. The ISS does have wifi – clocking in  at an impressive 600 Mbps, via the TEDRIS satellite system – so astronauts  can and do spend a lot of time online. Many choose to phone home. There’s also  the station’s beautiful cupola – surely the ultimate vantage point for just  sitting and watching the world go by. At night, astronauts return to their  sleeping bags. These bags have special arm holes so users keep restrained  but can still type, or read

a book. Some issues to overcome with catching forty winks  include the ISS’s constant humming noise – it’s been compared to a constantly running vacuum  cleaner. Earplugs, it’s said, help out a lot. Another more disturbing consideration  for dozing astronauts is airflow. Experienced crewmates try to align themselves  at night with the station air vents. This is because warm air doesn’t rise in  space, so sleeping astronauts in poorly ventilated sections can wake up gasping  for air, surrounded b

y an invisible bubble of their own exhaled carbon dioxide. At the  very least, this causes splitting headaches. Once they eventually drift off, seasoned astronauts are even said to dream  in zero gravity. Oh, and despite everything else that’s different up there, snoring  is apparently still very much a thing. What do you think? Does all that  discomfort and middling food seem worth it to become a pioneer of interplanetary  exploration? Let us know in the comments, and don’t forget to hit subscr

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