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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsAn Astronaut Reveals What Life in Space Is Really Like
Theres no way to anticipate the emotional impact of leaving your home planet. You look down at Earth and realize: Youre not on it. Its breathtaking. Its surreal. Its a were not in Kansas anymore, Toto kind of feeling. But Ive spent a total of 55 days in space, over the course of five missions for NASA, and Ive learned that being out there isnt just a series of breathtaking moments. Its a mix of the transcendently magical and the deeply prosaic. It can be crowded, noisy, and occasionally uncomfortable. Space travelat least the way we do it todayisnt glamorous. But you cant beat the view!
Everyone imagines that when youre sitting on the launchpad atop 7 million pounds of explosive rocket fuel, youre nervous and worried; but the truth is, there isnt much to do for those two hours after you climb into the shuttle. Many astronauts just take a nap. Youre strapped in like a sack of potatoes while the system goes through thousands of prelaunch checks. Occasionally you have to wake up and say Roger or Loud and clear. But the launch itself is a whole other thingfrom the pad to orbit in 8.5 minutes, accelerating the entire time until you reach the orbital velocity of 17,500 mph. That is a ride.
It turns out that once youre actually in orbit, zero-g has some upsides. Without gravity, bodily fluids move toward your head. Its a great face-lift. Your stomach gets flat. You feel long, because you grow an inch or two. (I thought, Oh cool, Ill be tall, but of course everybody else was taller too.)
But zero-g also has some disadvantages. As that fluid shifts north, you get an enormous headache. Your body compensates and loses about a liter of fluid in the first couple of daysyou essentially pee the headache away. And a lot of people get nauseated. The way to feel better is to lose up, to convince your visual system that up is wherever you point your head and down is where your feet are. When you can do that, and go headfirst or earlobe-first wherever you want, then youre getting adapted to zero-g. On each flight this adaptation happens more quicklyyour body remembers having been in space. But it can take a few days before your stomach finally settles down and says, OK, whats for lunch?
http://www.wired.com/2014/11/marsha-ivins/
I'd like to try this out for myself sometime. Saying that fully aware that that will never happen
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An Astronaut Reveals What Life in Space Is Really Like (Original Post)
madokie
Nov 2014
OP
Even at my age, I'd kneecap someone's grandmother for a chance to go into space.
ColesCountyDem
Nov 2014
#2
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)1. Hell, at our age do you really think they'd take us?
But the psychology is interesting. There's probably a lot more there that he didn't have room to get into.
ColesCountyDem
(6,943 posts)2. Even at my age, I'd kneecap someone's grandmother for a chance to go into space.
pinboy3niner
(53,339 posts)3. With a resume like that, how could they turn you down?
skydive forever
(445 posts)4. I worked on the shuttle program for 25 years
and met a lot of astronauts. And every single one that I met were just awesome people. They were all super smart but not one of them ever acted like they were any better than any of us lowly technicians. Great group of people.
loudsue
(14,087 posts)5. I've never understood the desire to leave our lovely planet, even briefly.
And the claustrophobia is a deal breaker from the first. Some of us are just earth-anchored...I'm one of those. I love it here!
bearssoapbox
(1,408 posts)6. I don't like caves.
The idea of being underground. ugh!
I don't like planes and have only been in a couple that I didn't eventually have to jump out of, but given a chance to go to space???
STRAP ME IN!!!
Won't ever happen because of age and health but wouldn't that be fun?
And I'd probably need a separate booster too.
Codeine
(25,586 posts)8. Same here. I'd ride in the damned cargo hold if I had to. nt
malaise
(269,025 posts)7. That's amazing
What an experience. I'll have to read others take on this one