Working in Space

Credit: STS-103 Crew, NASA

Explanation: High above planet Earth, a human helps an ailing machine. The machine, in this potentially touching story, is the Hubble Space Telescope, which is not in the picture. The human is Astronaut Steven L. Smith, and he is seen above retrieving a power tool from the handrail of the Remote Manipulator System before resuming work on HST in 1999 December. For most astronauts, space is not a place for relaxation and vacation, but rather a place for hard work. Since many space missions involve costly equipment and complicated experiments, astronauts are usually people of considerable knowledge and training. Although the hours may be long and work may be taxing, one frequently reported perk of working in space is the spectacular view.

Astronauts have to be careful eating in the Space Shuttle, because their food can float away. Sticky foods are the best, and crumbly food isn't sent to space (can you imagine crumbs floating around in the Shuttle? It would be like being in a dust storm all the time!). Many foods have the water removed (called dehydration) so they weigh less and take up less room. Before eating, the astronauts add water and squish the food and water around in a plastic bag so it is not too dry to eat. Astronauts can add hot water for hot food, but there is no refrigerator on the Shuttle, so no cold drinks! 

Sleeping is an adventure, too. Some astronauts like to float free in the Shuttle to sleep, gently bouncing off a wall once in a while. Other astronauts sleep better if they are zipped into a sleeping bag. This feels more like sleeping in a bed on earth. There's even a little pillow they can fasten to their heads with a strap!

Staying clean is harder in space, too. There is no shower or bathtub on the Shuttle, so astronauts have to take sponge baths. They can brush their teeth the regular way, but have to be careful that toothpaste globs don't drift away! All the trash and garbage has to be put in bags and brought back to earth.

Going to the bathroom is easy, though. The toilet in the Shuttle just uses air flow to carry waste away from the astronaut's body.

One of the most important things astronauts must do every day in space is exercise. Without gravity, the human body starts to lose muscle and bone tissue. To keep their bodies strong, astronauts exercise using a treadmill or rowing machine.