European Area Company (ESA) astronaut Matthias Maurer has shared a video exhibiting how he prepares for an evening’s sleep aboard the Worldwide Area Station (ISS).
As you may anticipate, the routine is very similar to it’s on Earth — apart from the entire floating round and different challenges attributable to the microgravity circumstances.
Maurer has been on board the area station for practically six months so has had loads of time to excellent his nighttime routine.
The German’s slumber classes happen in CASA (Crew Alternate Sleep Lodging), situated within the European Columbus science laboratory module.
“However earlier than he floats into his sleeping bag in there for the evening, Matthias takes just a little detour to one of many three ‘bogs’ at the moment on board the area station,” ESA says in feedback accompanying the video. “Separated from the work areas and put in in numerous modules of the U.S. Orbital Section and Russian segments of the station to permit them some privateness, the astronauts on board share these bogs to scrub up, take a ‘bathe’ in area, and brush their tooth.”
Maurer says that he’s in a position to make use of a a lot smaller quantity of toothpaste in area than on Earth, because it foams far more simply than it does on the bottom. As soon as he’s completed brushing his tooth, he spits the froth right into a towel.
“Showering,” as you may see within the video, entails little greater than a humid fabric, with the shortage of gravity making it not possible to take pleasure in a extra acquainted type of washing expertise.
Viewers is perhaps shocked to see so many liquid droplets floating off as Maurer pours the water onto the fabric and begins washing his face. Requested in a Q&A bit on his weblog about if the droplets may harm onboard electronics, Maurer assures us that it’s protected.
“The washing areas that we’ve are in separate places the place we even have bathe curtains and no vital electronics,” the astronaut explains.
“As well as, all digital retailers must have caps on them. You’d by no means depart an digital outlet open, with all of the pins open, in order that fluid or mud can get into it. But it surely’s true, some pc methods have followers and areas the place liquid might be pulled in, however I believe the collection of all of the {hardware} was made in a method to additionally shield from that. So, we should always take care that we don’t spray liquid round and if there are droplets round, we should always wipe them off. However the surroundings right here is sort of resilient and strong and might deal with some small droplets.”
Maurer then floats off to his sleeping pod within the Columbus module, discovering time to examine his laptop computer for any vital messages earlier than delivering. The pod is large enough for one individual, with the astronaut often climbing inside a sleeping bag connected to the facet to cease them floating about whereas they nap.
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