Everything you need to know about life on board the ISS. Space station: how astronauts live
Today Russia celebrates Cosmonautics Day. Exactly 55 years ago, on April 12, 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first person to fly into space, reports MIR 24 correspondent Olga Klimkina.
Since then, many Russian cosmonauts, having passed a strict selection process, have been able to go to the ISS. Since the first human space flight, astronauts have learned not only to live in zero gravity, but also to have fun. According to experts, the station will operate for several more years.
Wash your hair, make tea or meet New Year. In space, these simple and familiar actions turn into a real quest. Necessary items float right out of your hands, and it is impossible to rinse your mouth after brushing your teeth. Therefore, the astronauts have to get out.
This is a space bath. A small compartment in which they wash, take a shower, and wash their hair, which is not at all easy to do, especially for women. If you can call it that, because water in zero gravity scatters throughout the station.
“I start by taking water to wet the roots of my hair,” they explained to reporters.
Then you need to add shampoo and comb your hair. It won’t be possible to rinse, so you just wipe your head with a dry towel, and if you want to drink, you’ll have to get creative. Not long ago, a coffee machine appeared at the station. And with it special cups. They look like ordinary plastic bags, but they can be used in zero gravity.
“That’s exactly how we drank coffee. You know, it’s such an unpredictable pleasure to drink from a cup in space,” the astronaut explained.
But weightlessness also has its advantages. For example, it is much more convenient to clean. Every weekend there is a sanitary day at the station. They take out a vacuum cleaner. Yes, not a simple one, but a space one, designed specifically for work on the ISS.
“Just like on Earth, there is a lot of dust here, dust accumulates everywhere, which definitely needs to be vacuumed,” explained cosmonaut Sergei Volkov.
They vacuum the filters, the walls, the ceiling, and the floor. In zero gravity you can get to any point of the station. But with lunch, of course, it’s more difficult. A cargo ship brings food supplies. Also cosmic. All meals are dehydrated and packaged in special bags.
“Here is a special block for distributing and heating water, which we affectionately call “our kettle.” With its help, we can make freeze-dried food like this. Now I have vegetable puree soup in my hands,” explained cosmonaut Elena Serova.
It doesn’t look very appetizing, but the astronauts assure us that lunch turns out to be quite edible. Moreover, there is no choice. They will see their usual food only after landing. All that remains is to wait for the gifts from below. Especially New Year's.
“With the recently arrived truck they gave us fresh fruits, oranges, tangerines,” they told reporters.
And also artificial Christmas trees and garlands. This is how another expedition to the ISS greeted 2016. But even in zero gravity, astronauts try to observe earthly traditions.
“Like the whole country, we are watching this wonderful film,” the cosmonauts said, meaning “The irony of fate, or enjoy your steam!”
And while the earthlings rested for the first two weeks of the New Year, the astronauts worked. There are no days off when working on the ISS. This is, for example, what the heart of the Russian segment of the station looks like.
However, the astronauts spend so much time at the station that they come up with their own entertainment. Fortunately, the absence of gravity gives many opportunities. For example, you can try yourself in circus art. Juggling in zero gravity is not at all difficult, you can even have a snack at the same time. Yes, you can walk on a tightrope.
You can also play football, for example. Or play a prank on your colleagues. The news about a gorilla attack on an astronaut spread around the world several months ago. It later turned out that American Scott Kelly was just joking, dressed up in an animal costume and hid in a box.
And the last thing: right in the window there is open space, and, according to people who have visited the ISS, watching it never gets boring.
A pre-flight press conference was held for the main and backup crews of ISS-55/56. Before the traditional communication with journalists, a meeting of the Interdepartmental Commission (IMC) was held, which included representatives of the ROSCOSMOS State Corporation, the Center for Production and Processing, RSC Energia, the Federal Medical and Biological Agency and NASA. By decision of the International Military Commission, the crews were recommended to continue pre-flight training at the Baikonur Cosmodrome. As the head of the CPC Pavel Vlasov, who was present at the press conference, noted, this decision was expected and justified, since during the comprehensive examination training the crews justified the trust and demonstrated a high degree of responsibility for training, and also confirmed professional level instructors and everyone involved in this process.
The main crew included the commander of the manned transport spacecraft (TPS) Soyuz MS-08, the flight engineer of ISS-55/56 (ROSCOSMOS), flight engineer-1 of the TPK Soyuz MS-08, the flight engineer of ISS-55 and the commander of the ISS- 56 Andrew Feustel (NASA) and flight engineer 2, ISS-55/56 flight engineer Richard Arnold (NASA). The backup crew has been approved to include ROSCOSMOS cosmonaut and NASA astronaut Nick Haig.
During the press conference, media representatives congratulated the cosmonauts and astronauts on successfully passing the exams. Journalists asked a number of questions to the head of the Center, including how the selection process is going. Pavel Nikolaevich reported that a total of 420 applicants submitted documents. Now there is an in-person selection stage, to which 93 people have been invited. At the moment final decision From the CPC, on a recommendation for admission to the cosmonaut corps, two candidates were accepted and another one is awaiting passage of the main medical examination.
The main crew was asked traditional questions related to personal belongings that members of Expedition 55/56 to the ISS will take with them. Speaking about weightlessness indicators, Oleg Artemyev noted that each crew member has his own talisman. So, Andrew Feustel wants to take with him a Czech mole from a famous cartoon, Richard Arnold wants a miniature figurine of a Hawaiian girl, and Oleg Germanovich himself wants three toys. “My seven-year-old son loves football very much and asked me to take the little wolf Zabivaka, who is the official mascot of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, which will be held in Russia,” shared the ship’s commander. - From my little daughter, who was recently born, I plan to take a Snowflake toy with me. And my friends also asked me to take a little bear cub - a symbol of Russia and many of our hockey teams.”
Media representatives did not ignore questions about the planned spacewalk in August, the upcoming presidential elections and Russian scientific program. Oleg Artemyev said that on this moment 58 experiments are planned and each of them is interesting and important in its own way. But he especially noted “Separation” - a system for regenerating water from urine; , which will allow you to monitor changes in the environmental situation and control air traffic safety; as well as “Photobioreactor” - growing microalgae in space flight conditions and monitoring them.
The backup crew was asked a question about how they worked together. “Nick and I felt quite comfortable preparing,” said Alexey Ovchinin. - He showed very good knowledge, skills and abilities. You can judge this by the tests we passed. Everything was done competently and correctly. We are ready to back up the main crew and help them in everything.”
Once upon a time, all the boys dreamed of becoming astronauts, and the astronauts themselves were something akin to rock stars. Today, things are not as rosy for Russian and international cosmonautics as we would like. The romance of space exploration is gone, and more people look at smartphone screens than at the blue heights. In order to help the cause of space exploration at least a little, we have collected several interesting facts about the ISS, Mir and those who live and work on them.
1. Age is a joy
Throughout the history of space exploration, humanity has created two manned orbital stations designed for long-term stay of people on them. The first such station was the Soviet-Russian Mir station. It existed in the orbit of our planet for 5,511 days. The second station was the International Space Station, which is still in use today. As of April 12, 2017, the ISS had been in orbit for 6,718 days.
2. Extraterrestrial life
People spent 4,594 days at the Mir station. The astronauts lived and worked at the station until June 16, 2000. The first cosmonaut set foot on the ISS on November 2, 2000. To date, the station has been inhabited for 6,007 Earth days. Thus, most of the time someone lives at the station. In total, about 200 people from more than 10 countries have visited the ISS since 2000. During this time, 7 space tourists visited the station. May 2009 was the first month when teams from all space agencies at once were present on the ISS: the USA, Russia, the EU, Canada.
3. Space democracy
If astronauts are in orbit, and in the meantime, any elections are taking place in their countries, for example, presidential ones, crew members from the corresponding country can take part in them without leaving the ISS. Corresponding amendments were adopted into laws different countries back in the 90s of the last century.
4. The first pancake is lumpy
Despite the fact that the Mir station and the ISS are the most famous, humanity has made many more attempts in this area. Thus, the Mir station was developed from Soviet project"Salyut", which operated from 1971 to 1982. The Americans tried to create a Skylab station. It was even visited by three crews, but due to damage to Skylab during launch, the station had to be taken out of service.
5. “Long-livers”
Gennady Ivanovich Padalka is currently the absolute record holder for the total stay in Earth orbit. The Russian cosmonaut, an Air Force colonel, spent 878 days in orbit as of April 6, 2017. Previously, this record belonged to another “long-liver”, Russian and Soviet cosmonaut Sergei Konstantinovich Krikalev. It spent (in total) 803 days in orbit.
By the way, Krikalev is one of four people in the post-Soviet space who was immediately awarded the title of Hero Soviet Union and the title of Hero Russian Federation. Moreover, at the time of the collapse of the USSR it was in orbit. Having gone to Mir as a “Soviet”, Krikalev returned as a “Russian”.
6. World record holder
Valery Vladimirovich Polyakov can rightfully be considered an “earthling dinosaur.” The thing is that this Russian (and Soviet) cosmonaut holds the world record for the longest flight into space - 437 days and 18 hours from 1994 to 1995. He circled the earth more than 7 thousand times. The cosmonaut lived at the Mir station. Polyakov is a doctor by profession. He has a doctorate in medical sciences, the title of professor and military rank colonel.
7. Orbital equality
American Peggy Annette Whitson is the first female astronaut to become commander of the International Space Station. She is a scientist who works in the field of biochemistry. To date, Peggy has completed two space flights and spent 377 days in orbit, making her the record holder for the longest flight duration among women. She also holds another record among female astronauts - 53 hours 22 minutes for the longest stay in outer space.
Afterword.
Space exploration is a large, complex and overwhelming task for more than one country alone. In this regard, the ISS is a wonderful testament to what nations can achieve when they cooperate with each other to achieve a common goal.
Continuing the theme, a story about how and when.
A new spacewalk by astronauts from the International Space Station is scheduled for August 8. This was reported by the aerospace organization Roscosmos. Until this time, astronauts will remain on board the ISS for several months. In addition, there will be several preparatory stages, as well as a series of tests that will help prepare people for subsequent missions. The tests will be carried out both on Earth, before being sent to the ISS, and later, directly on board the orbital station. It should be said that as part of the subsequent spacewalk, an important mission remains to be completed.
Please note that Russian cosmonauts will have to install special equipment on the body of the International Space Station. Its role is to track the movements of wild birds and record data. In the future, this information will be transferred to ground-based research centers for subsequent systematization. The presented device, called ICARUS, will help fill existing data gaps on the movement of wild birds and their annual migration.
It should be said that the cosmonauts who are about to go into space have already declared that they are fully prepared to carry out the task. At the same time, special attention within the framework of preparatory manipulations will be paid to emergency situations and ways to solve them. Among the situations that will be simulated as part of the upcoming exercises, it is worth highlighting the depressurization of the ship, fires and other emergencies. In other words, astronauts will learn to deal with all situations, including those that cause panic and chaos, so that when they actually occur, they can save themselves and their colleagues.
A group of astronauts will leave for the ISS in April of this year. For this it will be used Russian ship Soyuz-08. Our astronauts will be supported by their American colleagues, who are also tasked with carrying out several tasks in outer space.
It is they who will have to go into outer space and install the equipment. For now, they are just preparing for the upcoming flight and assure that they are ready to cope with any danger that may await them in space. It should be noted that careful preparation preparation of astronauts for the upcoming journey is the key to successful missions, especially since they will be entrusted with other important tasks.
It should be said that this year Russian cosmonauts have already been near the ISS, then two of our compatriots managed to set a new record for being in outer space. So their mission lasted more than eight hours, which is the longest period of stay in open space for Russian cosmonauts.
Today the International Space Station, the successor to the Soviet Mir station, celebrates its anniversary. The construction of the International Space Station (ISS), the most ambitious space project of the 20th and 21st centuries, began 10 years ago with the launch of the Russian Zarya module.
At the intersection of life and space
Until October 2000, there was no permanent crew on board the ISS - the station was uninhabited. However, on November 2, 2000, a new stage in the creation of the ISS began - the permanent presence of a crew on board the station. Then the first main expedition “moved” to the ISS.
IN currently The work watch is carried out by the 18th crew of the ISS - Michael Fink, Yuri Lonchakov and Gregory Shemitoff, as well as their colleagues - astronauts of the shuttle Endeavor. It is planned that in 2009 the permanent crew will increase from 3 to 6 people.
The ISS uses Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), which is almost exactly equidistant from the times of the two control centers in Houston and Moscow. Every 16 sunrises and sunsets, the station's windows are closed to create the illusion of darkness at night. The team typically wakes up at 7 am (UTC) and works around 10 hours on a weekday and around 5 hours on Saturdays.
Life at the station is not like life on earth, because even observing the simplest rules of hygiene becomes a problem. However, progress does not stand still and life in space is gradually improving.
Unearthly taste
Tubes of food are perhaps the most striking symbol of cosmic life. However, they are no longer “in fashion” - now astronauts eat regular food, only previously dehydrated (sublimated). From freeze-dried products you can prepare delicious borscht, delicious mashed potatoes, pasta - the astronauts choose their own menu. When they are preparing directly for a space flight, they have several such tests: for some time they sit on the space menu and make their own assessments of what they like and what they don’t like. Delivery is completed in accordance with their wishes.
The astronauts also take with them lemons, honey, nuts... In addition, the station has a lot of canned food. Today, astronauts can salt and pepper their food, but in liquid form so that the spilled grains do not cause difficulty breathing. The tubes are now used for juices and a small meal kit used on the flight to the station.
The astronauts' food is small-packaged. According to the “celestials” themselves, “the food is for one bite, so as not to leave crumbs.” The fact is that any baby in zero gravity, moving along a trajectory known only to itself and the laws of microgravity, can end up in Airways one of the crew members while he is, for example, sleeping, and cause his death. The same laws and regulations apply to liquids.
The astronaut menu might look like this:
First breakfast: tea with lemon or coffee, biscuit.
Second breakfast: pork with sweet pepper, apple juice, bread (or braised beef with mashed potatoes, fruit sticks).
Lunch: chicken broth, mashed potatoes, prunes with nuts, cherry-plum juice (or milk soup with vegetables, ice cream and refractory chocolate).
Dinner: pork tenderloin with mashed potatoes, biscuits with cheese and milk (or country style somy, prunes, milkshake, quail stew and ham omelette).
As for hygiene, previously astronauts used only wet wipes. As the time spent in orbit increased, they brought... a bathhouse into space. This is a special barrel that has its own “cosmic” features - like non-draining dirty water. For toilets, instead of the usual water on earth, a vacuum is used.
Cosmonauts generally don’t like to talk about organizing food or toilets: water, for example, is reusable. After absorption, urine is split into oxygen and water, these components of urine are put into a closed cycle of the station. And solid remains are placed in a special container, which is thrown into outer space.
Closer to the body
When it comes to astronaut equipment, most people think of a spacesuit. Indeed, at the dawn of manned space exploration, the pioneers of the Universe were dressed in spacesuits from launch to landing. But with the beginning of long-term flights, spacesuits began to be used only during dynamic operations - insertion into orbit, docking, undocking, landing. The rest of the time, participants in space expeditions wear their usual clothes.
Lingerie is sewn according to standard measurements, and overalls are sewn individually. Experienced cosmonauts order overalls with straps - in zero-gravity conditions, the clothes ride up. For the same reason, astronauts on the ISS wear rather long T-shirts and shirts. Jackets and trousers are also not suitable for astronauts: the back is exposed and the lower back is exposed to air. The fabrics used are predominantly natural, most often 100% cotton.
The astronauts' work overalls are equipped with many pockets, each of which has its own place and its own history, verified with millimeter precision. Thus, chest oblique counter pockets appeared when psychologists noticed that astronauts on long flights developed a steady tendency to hide small things in their bosom or even in their cheeks so as not to fly away. And the wide patch pockets on the lower part of the shin were suggested by Vladimir Dzhanibekov. It turns out that in zero gravity the most comfortable body position for a person is the fetal position. And those pockets that people get used to using on Earth are completely useless in zero gravity.
Buttons, zippers and Velcro are used as clothing accessories. But buttons are unacceptable - they can come off in zero gravity and fly around the ship, creating problems.
Finished products are checked by a special quality assurance service (clothes with uneven seams, for example, are sent for alteration). Then the seamstresses carefully cut off all the threads, vacuum the clothes so that excess dust does not get caught in the filters at the station, and seal the product in an airtight package. After this, an X-ray is used to check whether there is a foreign object left in the package (once a forgotten pin was found there). The contents of the package are then sterilized.
As for shoes, astronauts practically don’t wear them on board, wearing sneakers mainly only for sports. They are necessarily made from genuine leather. A rigid sole and strong instep support are very important, because in space the foot needs support. One pair of shoes is enough for the entire flight, even a long one.
Astronauts mostly wear thick, terry socks. Taking into account the numerous wishes of the astronauts, space couturiers made a special double liner in the area of the instep of the foot. In conditions of weightlessness, when there is nothing to lean on during work, astronauts cling to various protrusions with the instep of their feet, which is why the top of the foot is quickly injured. The pads provide protection for your feet while you work.
Since there is no provision for washing clothes in space, used clothing items are packed in special bags and placed in a cargo ship, and after it leaves the station they burn up in the atmosphere along with the “truck.”
The material was prepared by the editors of rian.ru based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources
