by Space is a really dangerous place to live and to survive there is a big challenge. Humans started living on the International Space Station (ISS) in the last two decades. There will be several obstacles if we want to live on the International space station. Even our regular activities like exercising and sleeping might be very complicated because of the microgravity in the ISS. The Space station doesn't have a refrigerator to store the food reserves and so everything has to last longer without any cooling. Even laundry would be a very big problem in the space station. So how can we live in space?
Living in space
Can you get drunk in Space?
Astronauts are not allowed to drink booze in space because there are several delicate instruments and devices which could be easily get ruined by a drunk astronaut. Alcohol is strictly not permitted in the ISS, they could even get banned from future space flights if they get caught. Although the Russians are allowed to drink in space from the 1980s. The consumption of alcohol might cause some serious effects on the spacecraft's water recovery system and so Alcohol and other volatile substances are not allowed in space. Even products containing alcohol like hand sanitiser, perfume are prohibited in space. We still don't know how the uptake of alcohol could affect humans in space.
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| Amazing views from the ISS |
Although there have been several incidents of astronauts drinking booze in space. Notably, even the first liquid to be drunk on the surface of the moon is alcohol. Buzz Aldrin has admitted that he sipped a small quantity of wine before stepping on the moon's surface in 1969. But since then there have been no such incidents happened in the ISS. But the Russian cosmonauts in the Mir spacecraft are in fact encouraged to drink vodka. But astronauts can try and uplift their spirits by enjoying the fascinating view of the Earth from the ISS rather than consuming alcohol.
Food in Space
Astronauts have a pretty nice menu containing more than a hundred items which also include fruits and vegetables until it is fresh. They have to eat at least thrice a day to receive at least 2500 calories every day. With Research and development made in space food, the menu of space foods keeps getting bigger which could, in turn, improve the morale of the astronauts. Foods are often selected by the mission team, they can pick the foods which are mild, nutritious and still remains delicious. They also need to take some calcium-rich food to avoid the weakening of bones in space due to the lack of gravity.
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| The Crew on the ISS shared a Thanksgiving meal. Source: NASA |
Astronauts eat packed food which comes in disposable packages. Bread is strictly not allowed in space as the crumbs float around the spacecraft and can get inside the scientific equipment and air vents. Even the breadcrumbs could get into our noses, causing an unpleasant experience. So in order to avoid the crumbs floating in free space, the food was coated with Gelatin. Even salt and pepper are available in liquid form. The Oven is certainly available in the International space station to heat the food to a proper temperature, but the refrigerator is not possible on the ISS.
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| NASA Astronaut performing a space agricultural study onboard the ISS. Source: NASA |
Astronauts' Laundry
Astronauts exercise every day in space to ensure there is no bone loss due to the lack of gravity in the ISS. They have to wear the same workout outfit for months without washing as there is no efficient way to wash the clothes and even washing by hand would be wasting the limited water supply on the space station. Fortunately, things don't get dirty regularly as the space station is always kept tidy and the ideal temperature is maintained. But they do get dirty, the clothes are packed with the garbage of the space station and sent back to the Earth's atmosphere where it gets burned down by the air friction.
The Disposal of dirty garments by sending them into the Earth's atmosphere and burning them might not just be the ideal solution. Instead, scientists are working on a new way to eliminate the laundry and even use them as fuel for the space station. A special type of bacteria could be fed by our dirty clothes and they could be digested by the bacteria. After consuming our clothing, they could release methane gas that could help power the spacecraft. But there is still time for this to happen in space, until then we have to wait till we get to Earth to do our laundry.
