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As an astronaut in a NASA space shuttle, it would be particularly unfortunate if you suffered from claustrophobia. A typical shuttle is occupied by a crew of seven, and inside the space shuttle the space is equivalent to a smallish tent on a camping expedition, only filled with seven astronauts wearing bulky suits! Obviously, a claustrophobic astronaut would relish the opportunity to disembark onto the slightly less cramped International Space Station.

Food-wise, an astronaut’s lot has improved considerably from times gone by, although dehydrated food is still used on space flights. The military innovation of MREs (Meals Ready To Eat), which are not dehydrated, from the late 1960s to the 1980s led to many improvements in the diet of the astronaut, and today’s space food still owes much to this innovation.

The International Space Station has even boasted chefs from top Parisian restaurants providing food for the astronauts. Each space suit is fitted with an In-suit Drink Bag providing 32 fluid ounces of water, which can be sipped from a straw, built into the suit for long periods of suit-wear.

It is incredibly important to maintain good personal hygiene in the space station or on a space flight as germs can multiply faster in space. Low gravity poses obvious conundrums where water-based activities are concerned!  To maintain cleanliness, shuttle astronauts treasure their personal hygiene kit – a set that includes toothpaste, a toothbrush, dental floss, a razor and a comb.

Showers are taken inside a large specially-designed cylinder with a plastic sleeve to prohibit the escape of water into the air. The astronauts must essentially vacuum the water off their skin before exiting the cylinder – and for those who savor a nice hair wash; the practice is reduced to application of a rinseless shampoo!

The practice of waste disposal from space toilets must also consider the low-gravity environment. Onboard lavatories flush with air instead of water. The air in the toilet is filtered to remove bacteria and odors and is then returned to the living quarters. The solid waste matter must be kept onboard until landing, while liquid wastes are sent out into space.

In case an astronaut must go out ‘space-walking’ in their suit for long periods, their suit is fitted with an adult absorbent diaper known as a Maximum Absorption Garment to trap and collect both urine and feces. The garment can be disconnected and disposed of once the spacewalk is over.

A fitness regime is of paramount importance to astronauts in space. On top of the usual reasons for keeping in shape, being in space makes them susceptible to a condition similar to osteoporosis. Researchers found that after months in a weightless environment, astronauts suffer a significant loss of bone mineral density – so a large amount of an astronaut’s routine (at least 2 ½ hours a day) is dedicated to keeping fit. On the International Space Station, there is a specially designed treadmill and exercise bike to help astronauts fight against bone degeneration and maintain normal health.

Obviously, the main reason for astronauts being up there on the ISS is for the advancement of science and to carry out a variety of experiments. Some examples of projects that have been undertaken by Expedition 10 (which arrived at the station in October of 2004) are:

• Observing and photographing natural and manmade changes on Earth over time as well as short timescale events like storms so we can better understand our planet
• Studying how humans behave in isolation and confinement
• Leaving potential future spacecraft equipment outside to see how well it withstands being in space
• Studying fluids that react to magnetic fields, in order to aid in the construction of better brake systems, seat suspensions, and airplane landing gear

Of course, as in most jobs, astronauts are allowed some free time! Like most of us these days this revolves around the internet, which they use to call their families and check their e-mail. Unlike us, and probably a great source of frustration, their email and internet connection is only updated 3 times a day.