Some astronauts stay in space for a long time and live in a floating home called a space station. The basic idea for a space station emerged more than a hundred years ago, but it was not until 1971 that Russia built and launched the world’s first manned station, the Salyut (Salute). This was a cramped, stuffy compartment but provided more room than a space traveller had ever had before. NASA launched a space station called Skylab in 1973, which was the largest spacecraft ever launched on a single rocket. The Salyut and Skylab were single module space stations, meaning that they only had one living area.
The first multi-module space station was the Russian Mir space station. It was made of several different blocks, each launched separately and connected together in space. Mir, which can mean either ‘Peace’ or ‘World’ in Russian, was put into orbit in 1986 and reached the end of its life in 1996. In 1993, the USA and Russia announced plans to jointly build a new space station. This agreement effectively ended the space race between the two countries and opened a new period of co-operation. This space station would eventually be known as the International Space Station, or ISS.
The International Space Station
The ISS is a huge space craft as big as a football field that travels around the Earth. It is so big that it can sometimes be seen from the ground at night. Like Mir before it, it had to be built by astronauts in space. The ISS is used for conducting experiments in zero gravity and is seen as a major stepping stone towards manned trips to Mars.
Problems with living in space
Astronauts can spend months or even years living in a space station. The longest an astronaut has stayed in space is one year and 72 days. However, living in zero gravity for such a long time can be problematic. Around 45% of astronauts initially suffer from space adaptation syndrome or space sickness, symptoms of which can include nausea, vomiting and lethargy. This usually lasts for around 72 hours. The longer an astronaut spends in space, the more problems he or she is likely to encounter. Prolonged exposure to zero gravity can include weakening of muscles and bones, cardiovascular problems and even excess flatulence.
In addition to the health implications, there are also problems with keeping clean and going to the toilet, as everything floats. In a space shower the water flows out and then floats in blobs. Astronauts have to hold onto a handle to keep still while they wash. After rinsing, they use a hose to suck up all the water. A space toilet has bars and foot rests to help the astronaut sit down. The astronaut slides the bars over their legs and turns on the air flow which sucks waste into a hopper. Even sleeping in space can be difficult - weightlessness can cause nasal congestion and snoring. Astronauts also have to be strapped to their beds to stop them floating around.
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