Do astronauts eat with plates?
Astronauts on the International Space Station eat and drink directly from disposable plastic or aluminum foil containers-so they don't have to wash dishes! When eating in space, I occasionally use a metal tray with a hook and loop to put food bags. However, the adhesive tape on the food bag can also be directly attached to the bulkhead or clothes. There are magnetic scissors and spoons on the kitchen table.
Generally speaking, when I eat, I open at most two food bags at a time, and I should be more careful to avoid food flying everywhere. Opening more than two bags at a time is asking for trouble-the kitchen is bound to be a mess. You can eat two bags first and then open the other two bags. On the earth, you can put all your favorite foods on one plate and enjoy them slowly. This is really a simple and rare happiness.
Can astronauts get fat in space?
I'm definitely not fat myself. The freeze-dried/heat-stable food, edible nuts and dried fruits of the International Space Station provide astronauts with a balanced diet. Each astronaut will consume 1900 ~ 3200 calories every day, depending on their gender and body shape.
With so many calories, it seems that everyone really eats a lot, but the astronauts on ISS are doing high-intensity exercise every day and their work is very busy. In addition, the flavor and taste of space food are always not as good as fresh food on earth, so many people will lose weight. After living in the International Space Station for six months, the average weight loss of male astronauts is 2-4 kg, and that of female astronauts is 1.3-3.2 kg. Astronauts on short-term missions usually don't change much in weight. My weight difference before and after launch is usually only about 1 kg.
This is the toilet compartment of ISS, with a vacuum tube on the upper left and a "toilet" with a lid on the lower right.
How to go to the toilet in space?
I thought you wouldn't ask! In the bathroom of the earth, gravity will let what you discharge go where it belongs. But in the weightless environment of the International Space Station, engineers can only use airflow instead of gravity.
There is a special electric fan in the toilet, and the airflow it produces will take away the urine and solid waste you discharged. Astronauts can flip the switch, turn on the fan in the toilet, then insert a funnel on the vacuum tube and use the funnel to get close to their bodies. Urine will be washed into the funnel by airflow and collected in a storage box.
Astronauts can hook their toes on the handrails on the floor and hover over the toilet seat. Air flows under the seat and washes away solid waste. Every time I go to the toilet, all the excrement, cleaning supplies and sanitary gloves will be sealed in garbage bags and put in a bucket under the seat. Then the astronauts will clean the seats and trash cans and put on new bags for the next person to use. Used sterile wet tissues will be thrown into another garbage bag.
How to deal with these wastes?
Urine will be temporarily stored in a transit tank and then flow into the water recovery system to be converted into clean drinking water. The life support system will convert some recovered water into breathable oxygen.
After the trash can under the toilet seat is full, the astronauts will take out the garbage bag containing solid garbage and put it into the empty cargo ship with other garbage. After leaving the International Space Station, the unmanned cargo spacecraft will ignite the braking rocket, re-enter the atmosphere, burn in the sky, and the garbage will be incinerated together. If you see a meteor in the sky next time, please don't forget-it may be a gift from an astronaut!
What about sweating in space?
On the earth, warm air will rise because its density is less than the surrounding cold air. But in the state of free fall, the difference in density will not cause the flow of gas, so the hotter gas around your body will not rise, so you are wrapped in a hot and humid blanket. It is for this reason that sweat is difficult to evaporate and will only gather on the skin. Therefore, astronauts often need to wipe their sweat with a towel or turn on a fan to blow air on their bodies during exercise.
Astronaut Karen Naiberg washes her hair on the International Space Station.
How do astronauts wash and trim their hair in space?
When washing hair, the astronaut's first step is to squeeze the hot water from the drinking bag onto his scalp. Then they will put on disposable shampoo (the kind used in hospitals), rub their hair with their fingers or combs, and finally dry it with a towel and comb it. Astronauts on the International Space Station will trim each other's hair with scissors, and the vacuum cleaner will suck away the scattered broken hair.
How do astronauts brush their teeth?
Astronauts floss their teeth in the same way as on earth, but brushing their teeth is a little more difficult-there is no pool on the space station to spit toothpaste on you! They spit toothpaste into paper towels or towels and rinse their mouths with water. In order to save water, astronauts on the International Space Station have begun to use edible toothpaste. After brushing their teeth, they can swallow toothpaste directly into their stomachs.
How do astronauts wash clothes?
They don't wash clothes. Free-falling laundry requires a special washing machine and consumes a lot of water and energy, which is undoubtedly a heavy burden for the limited reserves of the space station.
The underwear and socks of the crew on the space station are changed every other day, and the tops and pants (or shorts) are changed once a month. They change their pajamas once a week-in fact, T-shirts and shorts-which can be worn as sportswear for another week. The changed clothes are directly thrown away and brought into the earth's atmosphere by cargo ships for burning.
In contrast, the clothes of the space shuttle astronauts are very luxurious. I have to change my clean coat, socks and underwear every day. Most of my clothes can be kept for washing after I go back, and I can wear them for the next task. In order to prevent clothes from stinking, space suit designers are trying to make astronaut's clothes with cloth soaked with antibacterial agents, so that a suit can last longer.