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 Living in Space The space shuttle is made up of 3 (really in a way 4) parts. There is the external fuel tank, the two solid rocket boosters, and the orbiter itself. The fuel the shuttle uses is liquid oxygen and liquid nitrogen. The external fuel tank when it is detached heads back towards earth and incinerates in the atmosphere. The rocket boosters parachute into the ocean then get recovered so they can be used again. When the orbiter heads back though earths atmosphere it is protected by thousands up on thousands of heat proof tile and if any fall of the shuttle and its occupants will burn up in the atmosphere. The living quarters in the shuttle is very small and they do most of everything in one room including science experiments, eating, exercise,eating,sleeping etc. The food in space is no longer in tubes like it used to be. Now it thermal packed, air packed, and other ways so the food and drinks do not get in the controls and equipment. The only thing they can have in regular form are fruits and brownies. To brush you teeth in space... well nothing changes there. To shower in space you squirt yourself with water then vacuum it up. To clean their hair they use a non rinse shampoo. To go the bathroom, to do your solid you strap yourself to the toilet bowl and well do it, and to do you liquid you do it into a tube and everyone has their own tube. Inside the shuttle the clothes look like they resemble earth clothes and they change clothes every 10 days. Outside of the shuttle they wear heavy pressurized space suits that on earth way about 180 pounds. they will sometimes wear thruster packs to move around more accurately. In space some of the research they do is world class science. They will also launch and repair satellites and to pass tools to do work they just let go of the tool and with a movement that is very slight in that direction. To sleep in space they have to strap themselves to some thing and sleep in a sleeping back. Sometimes their arms will float in front of them which is kind of weird looking. The shuttles get wake up music while the Apollo missions used alarm clocks. The astronauts sleep 8 hours just like on Earth. What I don't get is how they get to sleep in the zero gravity. Article posted November 7, 2010 at 05:04 PM • comment • Reads 1050 • Return to Blog List Add a CommentPosted Comments |
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