Space facts by Ath

The ISS holds a maximum capacity of 6 astronauts/cosmonauts at any one time. This is because they cannot have any more astronauts than there are emergency escape capsules. The one docked on the space station can hold three people, the regular crew of the space station. The extra three astronauts are only temporary ones there for either re-supply or shift-change, and would have their own escape vehicles (the Russian Space capsule or the Space Shuttle) to leave in. NASA is working on an escape capsule that would seat up to 7 people at any one time, so there will be an increase in the number of astronauts on the ISS in 2003, but long after Lance’s flight.

Is Lance an Astronaut or a Cosmonaut? Well, Americans call their space travelers ‘Astronauts’, and the Russians call their space travelers ‘Cosmonauts’. They are the same thing, just called different names. Since Lance would be going up on a Russian ship, he should rightfully be called a Cosmonaut!

Lance won’t be able to take his favorite pair of jeans or comfy Calvin Klein boxer briefs up with him. All the clothes the Cosmonauts wear must be fire resistant, so cotton briefs are out! Don’t worry, girls, he will have regulation underwear supplied to him for the trip. The clothes that you wear in space actually ‘float’ around your body, so unless the fabric is touching you, you don’t feel like you have any clothes on!

Can Lance have cream in his coffee? Well, not on the ISS. The space dwellers are currently only able to drink from bottles very similar to sports drink bottles with the pop-up spout. So they are limited to water, juice and other non-carbonated and ‘cold’ drinks. They haven’t finished the art of heating drinks such as coffee or hot chocolate yet. There also are no soft drinks, since carbonated drinks have a tendency to explode when shaken, and lift off is pretty shaky! There is at least one soft-drink manufacturer working on that though, a low-carbonated drink that would be safe to drink on the ISS.

We all know that the Astronauts sleep in a type of sleeping bag, tied up to the ship so they don’t float around. Some Astronauts never get used to sleeping in space though, and end up having to take sleeping pills to help them cope. It takes people several days to get used to sleeping without gravity as it is! They say that you actually begin to get an illusion of lying on your back after a while, especially if you are in one of the more confined sleeping areas, very similar to the bunks Lance is used to sleeping in on his tour bus.

Spork, anyone? Well, no, the Astronauts use real utensils on the ISS. They also have real food, for the most part, but they do have to be made a special way. Since they don’t want crumbs going off into the ISS and getting into computer parts, they have to be very careful what they serve. Peas and beans have to be in some sort of sauce that will prevent them from ‘flying’ away. The Astronauts are also scheduled to eat 4 meals a day.

Is the ISS really zero gravity? Well, yes…and no. If you were to stand in the very center of the ISS, then you would be in zero gravity, but go one way or the other, and it’s kind of like a teeter-totter, you sort of get a tiny bit of gravity either way. It only amounts to one-millionth of earth’s gravity, but it’s still a tiny bit, so NASA calls it “micro-gravity” instead of zero gravity.

Right now, the liveable areas of the ISS are roughly the size of an 1.800 square foot, three bedroom house. When the station is completed, it will be about triple that size. This includes all the scientific areas, the command areas, the sleeping/eating/living areas, etc. With 6 people up there, it can get quite crowded! I think Lance is used to a loss of privacy, though!

Sometimes NASA sends some special wake-up songs to the space shuttle crew on their last days. Some of the more memorable ones have been: ‘I’ll Be Home For Christmas’ – Bing Crosby, ‘Fly Away’ – Lenny Kravitz, ‘YMCA’ – Village People, ‘O Mio Babbino Caro’ – Puccini opera aria, and ‘Anchors Away’ – performed by the US Naval Academy Band. The ISS crew usually only wakes up to an alarm clock though; will they make an exception for Lance?

There are actually crew cabins on the ISS. They are barely large enough for one person, and contain the sleeping bag and a window to look out. There are only two of them though, so where does everyone else sleep? Well, when there are three crewmembers on board, the third member can sleep wherever his commander has given him permission, as long as he ties onto something. When there are six, or in the future, 7 people aboard, sleeping space is at a premium, but again, it’s wherever you can find room and the commander gives the OK.

On May 30th, there will be/was a change in crew aboard the ISS. The new crew, ISS Crew #5, is expected to stay aboard for 4 months, before returning to Earth. Lance would most likely be in space with ISS Crew #6, who have not yet officially been named as of yet, but will consist of American Astronauts and other space travelers from their space partners.

When you go into space, the fluid in your body also becomes weightless. What this does is cause fluid to build up in your chest and stomach area, rather than in your legs, which we are used to here on Earth. One of the side effects of this is that your nose feels stuffed up, like you have a cold, and tasting food or drink is difficult, so Astronauts tend to enjoy highly salted, seasoned or spiced foods while in space.

Another side effect of the fluid moving differently around your body is that fluid builds up in the discs around your spine, lengthening your spine. It’s not uncommon for Astronauts to come back 1-3 inches taller than they were before they left! On the down side, this effect doesn’t last for long, as gravity will get the fluid to settle down again and any additional height will be lost. Sorry, Lance.

How will Mr. Clean take a shower on the ISS? Well, the answer is, he won’t. The Astronauts are limited to sponge baths. The good news is that he probably won’t sweat up there much, so he won’t get too smelly.

Where do they get their oxygen from? Well, actually from several different sources. There is a large take on oxygen up at the space station for one, but that’s the back up. Most of the oxygen is produced through a process where they shoot water with an electric charge, which causes it to be split into Oxygen and hydrogen atoms. Another way to get oxygen on board is through the use of per chlorate candles, which cause oxygen to be produced from a chemical reaction. This is the type of emergency oxygen supply that airplanes use when the masks drop down and you have to tug on them.

What about plants on the ISS? Well, there are some plants there now, mainly for experimentation purposes. They are also working on the possibility of having enough of a plant population to also have the plants provide the oxygen aboard ship, as well as being a source of fresh food, but that’s some way off.

One way they get water aboard the ISS is through air filtration systems. As you breathe out, your breath carries water that was lining your lungs with it. All animals that respire do this, so even the space-station rats and mice contribute moisture to the air. This air is filtered and the moisture distilled and purified out of it, then the water is returned to the water supply.

There are no microwaves aboard the ISS. Instead, there are two very small ovens with which to heat their food. These ovens are about the size of a suitcase.

There is a small fridge aboard the ISS, but power management concerns prevent it from being used all the time, so most of the food is packed in cans and other room-temperature ways. The Soyuz capsule Lance will be riding up in will provide, amongst other things, fresh fruits and veggies for the crew, which they are very appreciative of.

Taking out the trash on the ISS? Well, when the American space shuttle leaves the station to return home, it carries some garbage with it. The Russian Progress Vehicle, an unmanned craft that delivers food and supplies, if filled with refuse and burned in a controlled descent through the atmosphere over an ocean.

Taking care of those tootsies! In space there is no need for shoes, so astronauts wear a combination slipper/sock.

Since there are no washing machines aboard the ISS, Astronauts have a pair of underwear for every day they are in space. Sounds like JC would fit right in!

One of the most common pleasurable pastimes of Astronauts aboard the ISS is simply looking out the window at the Earth. It’s an incredible sight. On the other hand, people who are wondering might be relieved to know that Lance WILL be able to bring along his laptop, and they send e-mails regularly from space. So ‘business-Lance’ won’t be away from his companies for too long a period of time!

The ISS has several pieces of exercise equipment on board, such as a treadmill and an exercise bike. Because it doesn’t take as much work to pump blood and oxygen around the body while in space, the heart muscle tends to get smaller. Lance, like every other Astronaut will have many tests, before and after his flight, as well as during, to help determine whether age, activity level, amount of exercise, diet, etc will help prevent this loss. Luckily, the heart will regain its strength a short time after returning to earth.

One of the medical concerns over long-term space habitation is muscle and bone loss or deterioration. It’s mainly due to Earth’s gravity that our bones are as strong as they are, although exercise has a lot to do with it. Like many other parts of your body, your bones and muscles adapt tot he stresses they are required to carry, and in space, all stresses on your body are reduced. Long periods in space can conceivably cause an osteoporosis type occurrence, and reduction in muscle tone and mass, although there are ongoing tests to determine how to reverse or prevent this entirely.

Every single thing Lance eats will be monitored, both immediately before and during his space flight. Daily logs are completed to determine exactly what calorie level he consumed, fiber level, protein level, carb level, etc. They also do tests ahead of time to determine exactly what Lance’s body needs in space, since everyone is a little different. Lance will also get to help choose what he eats aboard ship. Things vary from cottage cheese to steak. They can make just about anything in space-food! But I’m still willing to bet he’ll go for some home-style BBQ when he gets back!