2022-06-23

Bored with your life? Dreaming of something different? When I feel like that I look up and wonder what life would be like 400km above my head. That's where the International Space Station orbits the Earth, with six astronauts living and working on board, for months at a time.

How do they sleep? They spend the night floating in a sleeping bag inside a small cubicle1 on the ceiling. American astronaut Sunita Williams explains: "It's like a little phone booth but it's pretty comfy and it doesn't matter if I turn over and sleep upside down. I don't have any sensation in my head that tells me I'm upside down."

Brushing your teeth in a place where you can't have a tap or a sink can be a challenge. Can you imagine the mess that running water would make in zero gravity? Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield uses a straw to put a big blob of water from a sealed bag onto an ordinary toothbrush and adds a little toothpaste - which he has to swallow when he's done.

Daily exercise is essential.