What Would Daily Life Look Like In Space?

A space that is boundless has triggered our attention to question everything and has also helped us decipher many mysteries that have astonished us for many decades. What would regular life look like in space? This question has astonished us for many years, and many science fiction movies have offered us the opportunity to delve into the aspect of life in space, which seems to be different from what we experienced on our home planet. The curiosity that we are portraying while questioning the universe and its working principle surrounding it, which is solely governed by laws of physics, may answer your question, which is about what daily life would look like in space.

Would you ever wonder about how astronauts work in space?

Working in space is a fascinating blend of engineering and scientific research and may come up with a multitude of physical challenges that astronauts must overcome to focus on their mission. The regular tasks that astronauts try to conduct in space are different from those we are familiar with on Earth since, in space, the working conditions are often disrupted due to the presence of zero gravity that induces weightlessness, which is also known as microgravity.

Have you ever seen a movie called Gravity? This sci-fi thriller utilizes detailed sets and detailed special effects to develop a realistic microgravity condition called “zero gravity,” and its effect is seen when space wreckages and astronauts float in space. Due to the presence of microgravity, the astronauts are able to float in their spacecraft, which highlights their weightlessness condition. Apart from that, microgravity allows astronauts to move heavy objects without providing ample force on them. Thus,

You may think that in space, there is no gravity, right?

As we all know that due to, gravity is the force by which objects draw other bodies towards their centre. Because of that, it holds the moon, which is in orbit around our planet. Likewise, Earth orbits around the Sun, and it holds the Sun on its path in our Milky Way Galaxy. However, if the distance between two objects in the universe increases, the gravity that holds them together becomes feebler with distance because it is very likely that a person who goes far enough from the Earth via spacecraft would feel less gravity. But this is not the reason why objects float on a spacecraft in Earth orbit.

 It is worth noting that 90 per cent of Earth’s gravity reaches the space station that revolves around the Earth. Hence, one of the major questions arises: why do astronauts float on space stations? Before answering this question, you have to know about the aspect of free fall.   In a space (Vacuum), gravity induces all bodies to fall at the same acceleration and mass of irrelevant with respect to the acceleration rate of the objects.

For instance, if a person drops a metal ball and a rubber ball, air will make the rubber ball slower compared to a metal ball; however, if a similar experiment is conducted in a vacuum where no air is present, the metal ball and a rubber ball would fall at the similar acceleration. That’s why objects appear to float in front of the person and in the spacecraft crew, and any objects abroad fall toward Earth. As all objects in a spacecraft fall together, the astronauts and other objects seem to be floating. Another question that may have come to your mind is about:

What would daily life look like in space?  

Weightlessness has turned out to be one of the most significant and most understandable facets that has an influence on the regular life of astronauts in space. Most of them are habituated to conditions of weightlessness and adapt to their surroundings very well. However, living for a long duration in a space where weightlessness is inevitable often affects regular life, ranging from the duration of sleep to eating habits.

On the other hand, adapting to a space environment may induce changes in the human body that may pose long-term and short-term impacts on human health. Apart from that, in space where no ozone layer exists, that protects us from ultraviolet radiation here on Earth. This can cause minor to long-term effects since ultraviolet radiation that comes from the Sun increases the likelihood of cancer among astronauts in later life. Solar flares, the array of radiation that the Sun liberates, can pose an immediate danger to the health of astronauts. 

Daily Life on the International Space Station (ISS)

The gravity that acts on objects that reside close to the Earth’s surface acts differently in the “International Space Station“(ISS). It could influence astronauts’ experience and daily life. According to NASA, the crew of seven people live and work while travelling at a speed of 5 miles per second, orbiting Earth around every 90 minutes, and occasionally more are abroad on the ISS during a crew handover. In 24 hours, the ISS makes 16 orbits around Earth, travelling through 16 sunrises and sunsets. This has offered an opportunity for astronauts to experience the beauty of the solar system from the windows of the ISS, which comprises our Sun, other stars and other planes and our own home Earth.

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