Life On The International Space Station
Nutrition
What they eat?
Astronauts must eat non-perishable, unrefrigerated, packaged food. Space food is usually sealed tightly in plastic or aluminum pouches. The food can range from chicken, to pizza to brownies and any food as long as it's rehydratable and vacuum sealed. However, carbonated drinks, alcohol, salt and pepper are not permitted to be eaten aboard the ISS.
How they eat?
Astronauts use a special food rehydration machine that pumps hot water into the food pouch, they must mix it in evenly.
How do they drink?
In the ISS, there is actually a water filtration system that transforms urine into clean water. Clean water is stored in aluminum pouches with a straw and astronauts squeeze the water out and slurp it up.
What do they drink?
Astronauts commonly drink water, however there are freeze dried juice, tea and coffee mixtures that astronauts add water to.
How do they store the food?
Aboard the ISS, there is a kitchen area with locker trays where the food is stored. There are also padded mages that have gum and miscellaneous foods that are strapped to the wall. There are re-hydration machines and reheat machines in the kitchen area.
Health Habits
Hygiene
How do they go to the washroom?
Number 1
When astronauts need to go number 1, they have to go into the ISS bathroom, close the sliding door, turn the vacuum on and pee into the vacuum device that simply sucks the pee down into a waste management system.
Number 2
There is specialized a toilet for number 2, that has a seat where there is a plastic bag that you poop into somewhat like a doggy doo doo bag and after the vacuum suction function sucks it down. To wipe, there is various toilet paper and wipes.
How to wash hands after?
To sanitize hands, there is soap and water available to wash in the hygiene kit.
How do they have a shower?
How do they brush their teeth?
Similarly to brushing teeth on earth, the astronauts are provided toothpaste and a toothbrush in a hygiene toiletry bag. They brush their teeth normally except that their is no sink so they either swallow the tooth paste or spit it in a cloth.
How do they clip their nails?
Much like on earth they use nail clippers to simply clip their nails, however because of the zero gravity the nails would fly everywhere so they use a vacuum to suck up the nails.
Do they use deodorant?
Yes, it's located in there personal hygiene kits and they use it normally.
Daily living
Work Habits
As much fun as it seems to be floating around all day, astronauts actually do a lot of hard work. They must follow a routine from 6:30am to 9:30pm. Throughout the day they work on repairing the ship, cleaning, conducting experiments, meeting in with the base, doing 2 hours of exercise, having 3 meals and some freetime.
Freetime
Most astronauts describe that they use their freetime to catch up with family via calls and emails and they like to simply gaze upon the earth in the look-out hatch.
Sleep
Where do they sleep?
In the crew cabin, a rectangular hatch with a sleeping bag, similar to a capsule hotel.
How do they sleep?
The astronauts get into their sleeping bags, which have special strap seat belts to hold it implace, they can sleep standing up becomes they have no perception of gravity.
How long can they sleep?
8 hours
Excersise
How much exercise daily?
2 hours
What kinds of excersise?
Running on a treadmill, cycling on a bike machine, lifting weights
How do they exercise?
Since there is no gravity in space, their are specialized equipment like a treadmill with bungy cord straps that hold the runner in place acting as gravity. Each piece of equipment is specialized for zero-gravity.
Why?
It's extremely important that astronauts get enough physical exercise each day because of the lack of gravity in space, their bones can get compressed and their mussels could weaken if not properly exercised. Physical activity also is beneficial for the well-being of astronauts it stimulates the brain mussels.
Astronauts that have visited the ISS
Total Number of People: 244 indivuals