11 Craziest Things About Living In Space
In space, no one can hear you ... fart?
Since sending the first person into space in 1961, we've been obsessed with firing humans off into orbit. In fact, the last time there was no one in space was the 30th October, 2000, since then there has been a constant off-world human presence in orbit around our planet - there's even an app and a website that will tell you how many people are in space at any one time.
The word astronaut comes from the Greek for stars, "Astron" and "naute", which means sailor (as in "nautical"). The Russian version "cosmonaut" comes from a similar place using "kosmos", meaning "universe" (obviously the Russians have much bigger plans).
Space is, quite literally, an alien environment, and living there has its own set of trials, tribulations and benefits. Without the influence of that pesky character, gravity, everything behaves in a different way. Astronauts' head's swell up, their spines lengthen, their eyes go bonkers ... but you can still get take-out pizza.
So, what is life like for those brave pioneers of space travel? Exciting? Adventurous? Even frightening?
Apparently it's all of those things, but at the end of the day, the people up there are only human. In fact, one of the most frequently asked questions put to astronauts is "How do you go to the loo?"
Astronaut or not, if that won't bring you back to earth with a bump then nothing will.
11. They Don't Wash All That Much
It's probably not the first thing to spring to mind when imagining the lives of those intrepid pioneers, pushing back the boundaries of scientific knowledge and exploration, but they don't really exactly get much of an opportunity for a long soak in the bath.
One of the weird upshots of this, coupled with the microgravity environment, is that skin on their feet undergoes quite the transformation.
Because astronauts are not using their feet to move around for their entire stay in orbit, the skin on their feet begins to soften and peel off in great flakes. This is an effect that is only made worse by the limited washing facilities in which vigorous exfoliation is somewhat discouraged.
Not to mention the fact that the astronauts only change their clothes every three days or so. It's not as gross as it sounds, as you tend to sweat less in space due to the fact that you're expending a lot less energy to get around and just generally "be".
However, it does mean that they have to be very careful when they do eventually remove their socks, as the flakes of skin could fly off and get into the equipment, or even a crew member's eye. Yum.