Space Life
Space has no air, water, or grocery stores. Plus, there's no gravity on an orbiting space station. How will astronauts survive?
Starting in January 2000, the first astronauts will live for three months in the partly-finished International Space Station. Here's how the station will keep them alive:
SHELTERING WALLS -- Thick metal and plastic walls hold air inside and protect astronauts from space temperatures, which can rise to 120 degrees C (250 degrees F) and drop to -100 degrees C (-150 degrees F).
BREATHABLE AIR -- Astronauts mix oxygen and nitrogen gases from tanks to make air. People breathe out carbon dioxide gas. Special filters pick up the carbon dioxide and send it into space.
RECYCLED WATER -- Water from sinks, sweat, and even urine will be piped through a filter. The filtered water will be cleaner than most tap water!
LONG-LASTING FOOD -- Specially sealed plastic bags keep food free from bacteria (tiny organisms) that can rot it.
GRAVITY SUBSTITUTES -- Chairs, beds, tables, and walls have straps to keep people and objects from floating away.
ASTRONAUT INTERVIEW: NANCY CURRIE!
What is it like to float in space? It feels a little like floating in a swimming pool. There's no real difference between "up" and "down," so you can never fall. I've even floated headfirst down stairs.
Can you swallow upside down? You can. One astronaut on my first flight ate every meal "upside down" just because he could!
What's your favorite space food? Vanilla pudding! I don't usually eat it.
What's the longest time a person has spent in space?
Valery Polyakov (val-ERI polly-YA-kof), a Russian cosmonaut, lived in space for 439 days straight! The longest I've orbited is 13 days.
Do you get used to space?
In the first few clays of orbit, most astronauts get headaches and round faces. That's because without gravity, blood and other body fluids float up to your head! In a few days, though, your body adjusts and you look and feel fine.
Is space scary?
Not really -- at least when I'm in orbit. But launching and landing can make you nervous. You're sitting on 3 million kg (7 million lb) of fuel!
What do you see out the window? Every 90 minutes -- every time we circle Earth -- we see a sunrise and sunset. We're not much closer to stars than you are on Earth. But we're not looking through the atmosphere (the air around Earth), so the view is very clear. We got fantastic pictures of moon craters!
Did you always want to be an astronaut?
From the moment I could walk I wanted to fly airplanes. When I was a kid there were no female astronauts, so I was 24 before I realized I could be one. I studied science in college and learned how to fly in the Army. Then I helped train astronauts to fly a shuttle-like airplane. I was accepted to astronaut training school and in 1991, I became an astronaut.
Starting in January 2000, the first astronauts will live for three months in the partly-finished International Space Station. Here's how the station will keep them alive:
SHELTERING WALLS -- Thick metal and plastic walls hold air inside and protect astronauts from space temperatures, which can rise to 120 degrees C (250 degrees F) and drop to -100 degrees C (-150 degrees F).
BREATHABLE AIR -- Astronauts mix oxygen and nitrogen gases from tanks to make air. People breathe out carbon dioxide gas. Special filters pick up the carbon dioxide and send it into space.
RECYCLED WATER -- Water from sinks, sweat, and even urine will be piped through a filter. The filtered water will be cleaner than most tap water!
LONG-LASTING FOOD -- Specially sealed plastic bags keep food free from bacteria (tiny organisms) that can rot it.
GRAVITY SUBSTITUTES -- Chairs, beds, tables, and walls have straps to keep people and objects from floating away.
ASTRONAUT INTERVIEW: NANCY CURRIE!
What is it like to float in space? It feels a little like floating in a swimming pool. There's no real difference between "up" and "down," so you can never fall. I've even floated headfirst down stairs.
Can you swallow upside down? You can. One astronaut on my first flight ate every meal "upside down" just because he could!
What's your favorite space food? Vanilla pudding! I don't usually eat it.
What's the longest time a person has spent in space?
Valery Polyakov (val-ERI polly-YA-kof), a Russian cosmonaut, lived in space for 439 days straight! The longest I've orbited is 13 days.
Do you get used to space?
In the first few clays of orbit, most astronauts get headaches and round faces. That's because without gravity, blood and other body fluids float up to your head! In a few days, though, your body adjusts and you look and feel fine.
Is space scary?
Not really -- at least when I'm in orbit. But launching and landing can make you nervous. You're sitting on 3 million kg (7 million lb) of fuel!
What do you see out the window? Every 90 minutes -- every time we circle Earth -- we see a sunrise and sunset. We're not much closer to stars than you are on Earth. But we're not looking through the atmosphere (the air around Earth), so the view is very clear. We got fantastic pictures of moon craters!
Did you always want to be an astronaut?
From the moment I could walk I wanted to fly airplanes. When I was a kid there were no female astronauts, so I was 24 before I realized I could be one. I studied science in college and learned how to fly in the Army. Then I helped train astronauts to fly a shuttle-like airplane. I was accepted to astronaut training school and in 1991, I became an astronaut.
By: Allen, Laura, Scholastic SuperScience
posted by James at 5:27 PM
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