

An astronaut cleans up for the day using the items in their personal hygiene kit, including what NASA calls “rinseless” shampoo, which was originally developed for hospital patients who were unable to take a shower. Once an astronaut wakes up and rises from their sleep station, their morning routine is pretty similar to ours down here on Earth since they still have the same hygiene needs, the way those needs are met just looks slightly different because of the microgravity in space.įor example, you might roll out of bed and into the bathroom to start your shower for your morning rinse. Let’s start with that early morning wakeup call.

Greenwich Mean Time and includes three meals and 2.5 hours of exercise to maintain muscle tone and fitness. Here’s a look at an astronaut’s typical day in space:Īccording to a 2004 report from NASA, an astronaut’s workday is from approximately 6 a.m.
A day in space essay free#
Astronauts even schedule their free time. Making sure every task fits perfectly into each astronaut’s schedule isn’t always easy because so many variables have to be considered, including times that the vehicle is in the dark or light and the various time zones for the ISS, for Mission Control in Houston and in Russia.īut don’t worry, it’s not all work, no play. Their schedules show what is happening and who is involved at any given time on the Space Station. You might be an all-star planner but I’ll bet your schedule isn’t as structured as theirs.īelieve it or not, from eating and brushing their teeth to working and sleeping, pretty much every move an astronaut makes is scheduled.Īccording to NASA, astronauts’ schedules are planned down to five-minute increments by a team in mission control called Ops Planner. – You think you’re busy? Wait until you see what a day in space looks like for astronauts on the International Space Station.
