7 daily habits of astronauts that will surprise you

On the International Space Station, astronauts from different countries perform daily feats for the glory of science and humanism. Of course, working conditions are not as comfortable as they are around the world, which makes their dedication even more admirable. After all, in Earth orbit, all processes in the human body are completely different. What is the daily routine of an astronaut? We talk about the routines and daily habits of astronauts on April 12, Cosmonautics Day.

Wet wipes instead of bath

There are no showers or taps on the ISS. Astronauts have water in plastic bags with tubes for body care. They mix it with soap and shampoo that does not require rinsing. A small amount of water is retained in the body due to surface gravitational force. Because the station is kept at room temperature, the droplets enter the ventilation shaft, where they are processed for recycling. Alternatively, crew members use wet wipes to wash themselves. Astronauts brush their teeth and shave regularly to maintain hygiene. Remove toothpaste and shaving cream residue with a towel to prevent it from spilling everywhere. To cut the hair, a special shaver-vacuum cleaner is used, which sucks in microscopic pieces of hair, preventing them from flying all over the ship. Similarly, astronauts cut off their legs.

By the way, an interesting fact: due to extraterrestrial atmospheric pressure, astronauts’ nails fall off (onycholysis) when they return to Earth. Gloves are also partly responsible for this situation, as they put pressure on the hands and prevent blood flow.

2.5 hours of training

Since the ISS is in low Earth orbit, one experiences the effect of initial cosmic velocity (not the absence of gravity). Since walking is not required to move, the lower body does very little work. To prevent muscle atrophy, mandatory regular training is required, allocating 2.5 hours in the program. Astronauts exercise on a variety of cardio machines: treadmills, bicycles, and a machine that stimulates muscles while lifting weights.

sleeping in the air

The hardest thing for astronauts on the ISS is to adjust to sleep, as they have no beds or pillows. You need to sleep in sleeping bags that are not attached to anything, that is, they also “fly” at the first cosmic speed (that is, the human body is as if in a constant decline). For convenience, sleeping bags are attached to the walls of the ship, so you need to fall asleep in an upright position. Sleeping time is 8 hours.

Inability to calmly comfort yourself

To satisfy his natural needs, the astronaut will have to experience a fantasy full of strange sensations. First you need to fasten your seat belts to fix your body position and only then start the procedure. The toilet works like a vacuum cleaner with a fan. Men and women have a personal urinal funnel that attaches to the hose adapter. Fans ensure that biological waste is sucked and directed to the wastewater tank. Yes, you will not be able to meditate on a “white friend” with a newspaper in your hand.

Wear disposable clothing

In fact, the astronaut has a special suit for each mission. For example, the Penguin suit helps prevent muscles from atrophying in microgravity conditions. It’s not very comfortable to walk in: it creates earth-like resistance to force the muscles to work as you move. Meanwhile, the technology itself has begun to be successfully used on Earth for the treatment of cerebral palsy and the rehabilitation of patients after traumatic brain injuries and ischemic stroke. Chibis suit is necessary to stimulate the cardiovascular system: it prevents the accumulation of fluid in the upper body and distributes it evenly throughout the body. The Orlan spacesuit is required for spacewalks, and the Falcon spacesuit is required for additional insurance, docking, separation, and landing. Since there is no washing machine on the ISS, cosmonauts change socks and disposable clothes once a week; These are loaded onto the Progress spacecraft, which then burn up in dense layers of the atmosphere.

No hot steak

According to our cosmonaut Oleg Kotov, he dreamed of three things most on the ISS: sleeping on a pillow, taking a shower and eating a hot steak. No, today astronauts no longer just eat food from tubes, they have to eat mostly freeze-dried food and canned food. In other words, it is dry food diluted with water. The fact is that in addition to food, biological materials for experiments are also stored in the refrigerator. You have to be careful not to mix anything up! For the same reason, food should not take up much space, so its shelf life is always long. But astronauts also eat store-bought food. For example, once a month they buy vacuum-sealed shrimp, canned fruit and even black caviar. For a long time there was no bread in the diet of astronauts, because it was impossible to eat without filling the space with crumbs. But today, flat cakes and two-centimeter loaves of bread are baked specifically for astronauts so that they can be eaten whole. For dietary diversity, the astronauts’ menu included spices brought from Earth in liquid form. For example, salt is dissolved in water and pepper is suspended in oil. You can add spices using dropper bottles.

Regular operation, cleaning and maintenance

Russia’s cosmonaut and hero Anna Kikina said that cleaning in the ISS is done every Saturday and is extremely important. The fact is that all objects are in conditions of microgravity, therefore inevitable dust is formed. It settles in large quantities on the grills of air conditioning systems. The slightest breeze causes the area to become dirty. In addition to work and cleaning, all astronauts must contact mission control center after waking up with a report on the situation, including the operation of spacecraft systems (at 7:30 and 19:30). Astronauts perform maintenance every day to keep the ISS operational. The astronaut’s work schedule includes a 40-hour work week and two days off on Saturday and Sunday.