Life in Space

I have decided to look at how life is in space and what is possible;
I decided to look into life in space to see how much it has developed and how close it is to life on earth
i found that a lot of the functions that we do during the day is possible in space just slightly altered.

What do they eat:

At the beginning of the 1960's, space food was bite-sized or placed in aluminum tubes. The food was prepared this way so that they wouldn't be too heavy or take up too much space. From the 1970's, during the Apollo period, the number of space food items began to increase. Currently, there are about 150 different types of food. The meals are very similar to the meals we eat on Earth.

Space foods are in plastic containers. Some space foods can resume their consistency by adding cold or hot water, while others can be heated up in the oven. Foods such as fruits, bread and nuts can be eaten just as they are. When drinking liquids, a straw is used to suck the liquid out of a sealed package. This is done so that it will not spill or possibly cause any damage to machines.

At the International Space Station, 300 different types of food are planned to be on the menu.

What do they wear:

Inside the Space Shuttle, the air pressure is kept at 1 atmosphere, which is the same level as on earth. The temperature and humidity are controlled, so that, the astronauts can live comfortably. Therefore, except for the orange flight suits that are worn during launch and reentry, the astronauts do not need any special clothes. The astronauts dress in the same manner that we on Earth do.

The astronauts are unable to do their laundry inside the Space Shuttle. So, the astronauts bring several sets of underwear to change everyday. They also bring extra cotton shirts and pants.

When the astronauts venture outside the space shuttle to work in space, they wear spacesuits. These spacesuits are high performance suits with various functions that are designed to protect the astronauts from an environment that is too harsh for a human being to live under, such as space radiation and the vacuum of space.

Hygiene:

Since water does not flow in a zero-gravity environment, the astronauts cannot wash their hands under a faucet as you do on Earth. So, there are no sinks or showers inside the space shuttle.

When the astronauts want to clean their hands or faces, they either wipe themselves clean with alcohol or by using a wet towel containing liquid soap. When the astronauts wash their hair, they use waterless shampoo, which does not need any water for rinsing. Waterless shampoo is used since it has no foam, which could spatter inside the Space Shuttle. After washing, they use dry towels to dry themselves off and their washing is done. To clean the body, they simply wipe their body by using a wet towel soaked with body shampoo.

Inside the Space Shuttle, there are no wash basins or showers, but the Shuttles do have toilets. The toilet facility is 1 meter by 1 meter large. Both men and women use the same toilet.

The toilet looks similar to a western style toilet that we use on Earth. However, there is a slight difference. The astronauts fasten their bodies to the toilet, so that, they won't float away. They then use a vacuum-cleaner-like machine to suck up the wastes. The wastes are then vacuum-dried.

A curtain, not a door, partitions the toilet space. So, you may imagine the sounds from inside the toilet space could be heard outside. However, in the Shuttle, it is quite noisy. The sounds from the air conditioning fan, motors, and other noises are so loud that when you use the toilet, the sounds from inside the toilet space cannot be heard outside.

In order to sit correctly on the 10 cm suction toilet opening, since their bodies will be floating in the air, the astronauts use a training device that's equipped with a camera.

As people live there, it becomes messy after meals and there's also garbage to be disposed of.

Between their duties, the astronauts clean the meal area, change the air purification system's filters, collect the garbage, and clean the walls and floors. They use liquid detergent, disposable plastic gloves, multi-purpose wiping cloths and a vacuum cleaner for cleaning.

To clean, they spray the detergent, wipe with the cloth, and vacuum the dust. When using the detergent, they wear disposable gloves. Collected garbage and used gloves are brought back to Earth.

Sleeping:

In the zero-gravity world, there are no "ups" or "downs". The astronauts can sleep anywhere facing any direction. But it's not good to be floating away somewhere while sleeping. So the astronauts use small sleeping compartments and sleeping bags. They will strap their bodies loosely so that their bodies will not float around while they sleep in the Space Shuttle.

Eye masks and earplugs are also available for the astronauts who are unable to sleep due to the noise from air conditioning and other machines.

The astronaut's sleeping cycle, while in the Space Shuttle, allocates eight hours for sleeping. However, in most cases, they will sleep for around 6 hours, since they often work long hours or they'll spend their time enjoying the view of the outside from the Shuttle's window.

Exercise

On Earth, except while sleeping, human beings are always moving against the force of gravity, with their muscles and bones supporting their body. In space, however, the body does not need to do this supporting work, since there is no force of gravity. This has an adverse effect on the body with the bones and muscles becoming weaker.

In order to keep the body working, the astronauts need a proper amount of exercise. They will exercise approximately two hours every day using exercise machines, such as treadmills and ergometers.

The treadmill is a machine on which, the astronauts do running exercises with their bodies strapped to it. The Ergometer is a machine similar to a bicycle without wheels. The amount of exercise can be adjusted by changing the pedal's pressure.

Health and safety

Each astronaut in the Space Shuttle has a specific assigned role, and as such, each has received intensive training required for that specialized task. For medical emergencies, the Crew Medical Officer is the person in charge.

The Medical Officer is trai3ned not only for the usual first-aid treatments, but also for other medical matters such as, stitching up wounds and giving injections. All astronauts are trained for emergency resuscitations in case of heart attacks.

Many medical instruments and medicine are included in the Space Shuttle's medical kit. These kits are used to treat minor illness and injuries during the flights. In addition, these kits are also used to stabilize the patientÍs condition during the flight back to Earth.

 Entertainment:

The astronauts can bring some of their own belongings with them. They can spend their leisure time in the same way that they would on Earth by reading their favorite books, listening to music, etc..

Also, since the Earth and stars that they're able to see from the Space Shuttle's windows are so beautiful, the astronauts will spend their time by enjoying the view and taking pictures.

In the International Space Station, they can watch DVD movies and, once a week, they're able to talk with their families.