They have to strap themselves in to use the toilet
That’s not a metaphor – when astronauts need to go, they literally have to use leg restraints to position themselves accurately over the lavatory. It’s not quite so restrictive for a tinkle, but they still need to use a funnel to ensure they don’t sprinkle everywhere. (And you gents thought you had it bad just aiming for the bowl.)
Much of their day is spent experimenting
A space station is basically a big research centre circling the planet, and astronauts are key to completing the research. Some of that involves monitoring ground-controlled projects, and some is medical research to help establish how well the human body adapts to long periods of time in space. They’re basically guinea pigs in space suits.
Astronauts have to do chores too
It might be stating the obvious, but even on a space station you have to clean up after yourself and look after your home – however temporary and weightless it is. Routine maintenance on board includes regularly checking support systems, cleaning filters and updating computer equipment, plus the odd spacewalk. Oh, and they still have to take out the trash.
Nobody has to do the dishes
Does anyone like cleaning dishes? At best you could call it satisfying once it’s done. Astronauts are lucky – in space, most of their food is pre-packed and stored in disposable packaging, which they just put in the trash once they’re done. That saves time, and the age-old argument of who washes and who dries.
Food is more varied than you might think
Astronaut food isn’t as grim as you might imagine – in fact, it sounds pretty appetizing. Macaroni cheese, chocolate brownies, scrambled eggs, fresh fruit – an astronaut’s menu reads much like a diner’s, with the exception being that food often has to be rehydrated. And because it’s prepared on earth first, you could even refer to it as fast food.
Astronauts must exercise constantly to retain muscle mass
Astronauts must exercise every day in space, to avoid loss of muscle and bone. That might sound tough in zero gravity, but astronauts can still get in that crucial cardio, and reps too. An astronaut will often spend as much as two hours a day on physical fitness, which makes that twice-weekly gym session seem like a walk in the park.
They have to sleep strapped to the wall
It might sound draconian, but astronauts sleep strapped to the wall for their own safety. Each astronaut has a sleeping bag safely strapped to the wall of their own sleep station, which is roughly the size of a phone box. Cosy, huh? Of course, that doesn’t guarantee sleep is easy, but at least they won’t clock a concussion while they’re catching some Z’s.
Astronauts see 16 sunrises and 16 sunsets each day
Astronauts have their free time planned in advance so they can get some R ‘n’ R like us earthlings. One benefit to being in space is the number of sunrises and sunsets that astronauts get to see – 16 a day. That, and being able to gaze down at Earth, must make an astronaut’s free time pretty special.
Their day is scheduled into five-minute slots
Many of us like to think we’re organised, or that we run a tight ship. An astronaut’s typical day, however, will make a typical earthling look like they’re in complete disarray. A team at NASA creates a detailed schedule for each astronaut to ensure nothing gets missed, with each day broken down into five-minute slots.
They can’t schedule in unexpected danger
Despite the meticulous planning and rigorous testing that goes into any mission, things do go wrong. Astronauts stick to the schedule as far as possible, but sometimes problems arise, such as a system failure or a piece of space debris, and the crew have to stop what they’re doing to sort it. All hands on deck, quite literally.
