Key Messages
Discover the Daily Life of an Astronaut: From Long Periods of Pre-Launch Preparation to Complicated Tasks in Zero Gravity
Becoming an astronaut takes commitment and hard work.
You need to devote long periods to pre-flight training, away from family and home.
If you want to be able to enjoy the view of space, you’ll have to put in a lot of effort down here on Earth first.
Life in zero gravity poses many challenges for even the simplest tasks, so it requires a lot of preparation and focus.
You also need to understand how different life is up there.
The ratio of time on Earth compared to being in space is huge – many months of hard work could result in just one day ‘up there.’ There are also unexpected difficulties such as washing your hair that require special techniques developed with practice.
Even mundane activities like sitting on a chair can become uncomfortable after an astronaut returns from their journey.
An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth walks readers through what it takes to become an astronaut, revealing both the highs and lows along the way with insight and humour.
It provides valuable lessons about resilience and determination that are useful no matter who you are or where your journeys take you!
Astronauts Must Possess a Variety of Skills, Including Crisis Management and Basic Surgery, to Succeed in Space
As an astronaut, you need a range of different skills in order to do your job effectively and get the most out of it.
Of course, there are the obvious tasks: piloting a rocket, walking in space, repairing pieces of the station, and conducting experiments.
But there’s also more than meets the eye – basic surgery and dentistry, programming computers, rewiring electrical panels and conducting press conferences.
And furthermore, astronauts have to be prepared for any crisis that could occur while they’re in space.
As they’re orbiting at 400km away from earth with no possible way to call for help if something goes wrong, it’s important that they are fully trained on how to handle any situation.
Fires have actually broken out on Russia’s Mir Space Station before which underscores just how important familiarity with problem solving can be.
All in all, training time greatly outweighs time spent in space – typically 4 months spent preparing for each day in orbit!
Even then – it takes several years before you’re assigned to a mission and two-four more months getting training for said mission specifically.
Astronaut Training Teaches Us to Respond Calmly and Strategically to Unexpected Challenges
Being an astronaut requires an incredible amount of preparation before ever going into space.
Both intelligence and experience are necessary to be successful but, above all else, astronauts need to be trained for any and all possible scenarios they may encounter.
Simulations are vital as they help astronauts wake-up to any potential problem that could arise when working in space.
These simulations show what to do in the case of engine trouble, computer meltdown or even an explosion, among many other issues.
The training also instills a sense of calm in astronauts so they can quickly and methodically prioritize threats and solve them accordingly—in situations they can predict, plan for and those they cannot.
The same approach of preparation is essential here on Earth too.
Having plans already laid out on how to tackle life’s unforeseeable obstacles makes dealing with them much easier and can give you peace of mind at the same time.
Astronauts have unique physical and mental abilities that are incredibly helpful for navigating through difficult days both in space and on land.
These skills allow them remain calm under pressure, think quickly, strategically problem solve from one moment to the next – all while using incomplete information with whatever is at their disposal.
At the end of the day—preparation is key when it comes to succeeding in the unpredictable journey that is life—whether it’s here on earth or up in space!
Criticism Can Be Beneficial if Viewed as Constructive Advice and Not a Personal Attack
As an astronaut, criticism is a key tool for survival.
At NASA, everyone takes part in scrutinizing each other’s performance, no matter how small the blunder may be.
It’s important to establish Flight Rules outlining the steps to take if problems arise and mistakes are made.
Criticism should never be personal or involve ridicule; it must always remain cool and detached.
For astronauts, criticism contributes significantly to their team’s ability to face serious issues or emergencies together.
If you exploit your crewmates in any way by teasing or belittling them, you put yourself in danger of not having them there when you need them the most.
For this reason, strive to form an environment where mistakes can be owned up to without any negative personal attacks.
By offering constructive criticism, astronauts can better assess potential risks before launch and cultivate a safe space for learning from failure together.
The goal is to avoid major setbacks due to lack of communication or coming off too brashly with comments that do more harm than good.
Criticism is vital to a safe mission as well as any kind of collaboration among professionals – especially in projects involving life-threatening risks such as those faced by astronauts!
Show Your Loved Ones You Care, Even When You’re Away
Astronauts often have to spend long periods away from their loved ones due to the duration of their training and missions.
This can be especially hard, making them feel like visitors in their own homes.
To counteract this, they anticipate these difficult periods in advance and try to make it up to their families in other ways.
For example, Astronaut Chris Hadfield planned for an entire year of being away from his family months before a mission.
He knew he wouldn’t be home for Valentine’s Day, so he sent his wife a card and gift ahead of time, making her feel special despite him not being with her for that day.
Similarly, when his launch overshadowed his son’s 16th birthday celebrations, Chris announced in interviews that his crew would be “lighting the biggest candles” – the rocket’s engines – on the special day.
Though astronauts might not be physically present with their families during long missions, they are able to stay close by taking other creative measures.
People with busy jobs don’t have to follow this example only if they have similar situations – even if your job isn’t as demanding as an astronaut’s – you too should find ways to show love remotely.
Enjoying the Out-of-this-World Benefits of Living in Space: The International Space Station
Living on board the International Space Station is a lot of fun, but it’s also very serious work.
With modules as big as a football field and weighing over one million pounds, it’s easy to get lost in its expanse – meaning a full day might go by without seeing another person.
Life on board is sort of like a long sailboat trip: remote and with no running water, along with limited fresh produce and basic hygiene practices like wash-outs for the hair instead of hot showers.
It takes two hours worth of exercise everyday just to maintain muscle strength – otherwise you won’t even be able to walk when you get back to Earth.
The main purpose of being onboard is for research.
Astronauts spend their time researching ways to venture further into space – as well as working on experiments that can apply to other fields such as medicine and robotics.
In fact, medical experiments conducted in space can reveal methods to fight certain types of osteoporosis and have influenced the design of machinery used inside nuclear power plants!
Even something like Google Maps has been powered partially by data gathered on the ISS.
All in all, living on board the ISS is fun – but also a lot of hard work!
The Rough Journey Home: How Astronauts Adapt to Life After Space Travels
Returning and readapting to Earth after walking in space is incredibly difficult – more so than many people might realize.
Astronauts return to our planet using the Russian Soyuz spacecraft, and while the re-entry can be quite spectacular, it’s also extremely rough on the body.
Yuri Malenchenko had an incredible experience during his 2008 landing on the Soyuz: he said that the parachute to decelerate the re-entry capsule caught fire, eventually burning off completely!
Even with this intense landing, astronauts have to adjust back to gravity, with a general rule being that it takes a day on Earth for every day spent in space.
Most report feeling like their body has aged significantly due to this tremendous experiencing.
Heavier objects feel heavier and movement is much harder than in space where there is no weight upon objects or individuals.
Wrap Up
In conclusion, An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth is a must-read for anyone wanting to understand what being an astronaut is all about.
It emphasizes that helping out your crewmates in space and challenging yourself is necessary to become successful as an astronaut.
To be able to do this, it’s important to prioritize time with family and plan for the times you’ll be away.
In the end, this book gives readers a better perspective on life on Earth by demonstrating how extraordinary and rewarding one can feel if they put in the hard work and effort of becoming an astronaut.
